Boris Johnson would be ‘bound to implode,’ if he returns to No 10
Suella Braverman, who was last week forced out from her job as home secretary, has joined minister Steve Barker today in endorsing Rishi Sunak to succeed Liz Truss in No 10.
The former cabinet minister was previously a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson and will be seen as another valuable backer for the ex-chancellor from the Tory right.
“I have backed Boris from the start,” she wrote in The Telegraph. “But we are in dire straits now. We need unity, stability and efficiency. Rishi is the only candidate that fits the bill and I am proud to support him.”
Minutes later, foreign secretary James Cleverly announced he would be backing Mr Johnson in the leadership race, arguing that the fomer PM has “learned lessons from his time in No 10.”
It comes after Mr Sunak confirmed that he was running for prime minister, saying that – as Ms Truss’ successor – he would fix the economy and unite the Conservative Party.
The former chancellor tweeted that he is the candidate to prepare Britain for a “profound economic crisis”, and that – during the pandemic – he had helped “steer our economy through the toughest of times.”
Most voters prefer Sunak over Johnson, according to snap poll
The electorate prefers Rishi Sunak over Boris Johnson to become the next prime minister, a new snap poll suggests.
A total of 1,005 adults were surveyed today. Forty-five per cent said Mr Sunak, while 27 per cent said Mr Johnson.
The same proportion of people who picked Mr Johnson said they weren’t sure.
The poll was conducted by Opinium, and the results were compared to the outcomes of a similar poll a few days ago.
Rishi Sunak ‘cannot be trusted’ with economy, Lib Dems say
The Liberal Democrats have responded to Rishi Sunak’s claim that he is the best Tory candidate to become PM due to his experience as chancellor.
The party said that there should be a general election instead of power remaining in hands of the Conservative Party.
Mr Sunak, when declaring his candidacy earlier today, said he would prepare Britain for a “profound economic crisis”, and that – during the pandemic – he had helped “steer our economy through the toughest of times.”
The Lib Dems tweeted: “Rishi Sunak cannot be trusted to steer our country through this cost of living crisis. He hiked taxes on hardworking families and lost billions of pounds of taxpayers money to Covid fraud.
“The future of our country should be in the hands of voters, not the Conservative MPs.”
Sky News puts Sunak on 140, Johnson on 59, Mordaunt on 24
Media organisations have tallied the numbers of MPs that are supporting each Tory leadership candidate – but the totals differ, most likely due to a lag in the reporting.
But one thing for certain is that former chancellor Rishi Sunak is the only one so far with enough endorsements from his fellow MPs.
Sky News’s tracker of MP endorsements puts Mr Sunak on 140 nominations.
Former PM Boris Johnson – who has yet to declare that he intends to stand in the contest – has 59, and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt has 24.
The BBC’s tally of public declarations of support currently has 144 MPs for Sunak, 56 for Mr Johnson and 23 for Ms Mordaunt.
PA has Mr Sunak with 127, Mr Johnson with 46, and Ms Mordaunt with 23.
Candidates need 100 nominations by Monday to be put through to the next stage.
Sunak backed by Braverman, while Johnson ally claims former PM has ‘learned lessons’
Now to our political editor Andrew Woodcock on this latest wave of leadership endorsements:
Meanwhile, foreign secretary James Cleverly came out in favour of Boris Johnson, who he has b een closely allied with since his time as mayor of London.
Mr Cleverly said that the former prime minister had “learned lessons” since being forced out of office in the wake of the Partygate affair.
Cleverly endorses Johnson, insisting he has ‘learned lessons’
Foreign secretary James Cleverly has become the latest cabinet minister to back Boris Johnson in the Tory leadership race, saying the fomer PM has “learned lessons from his time in No 10.”
He tweeted: “The last few weeks show that being PM is tough and no other job in government is quite like it.
“We can all see the enormity of the challenges we face, from the war in Ukraine, to growing our economy.
“To address these we have to support whoever becomes the next PM and work tirelessly on behalf of the
Suella Braverman backs Rishi Sunak
Suella Braverman, who was last week forced out from her job as home secretary, has endorsed Rishi Sunak in his bid for No 10.
The former Cabinet minister was previously a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson, though did call for him step down the day before he resigned in July, putting her own name into the ring for the leadership contest at the time.
She will be seen as another valuable backer for the ex-chancellor from the Tory right.
“I have backed Boris from the start,” she wrote in The Telegraph.
“But we are in dire straits now. We need unity, stability and efficiency. Rishi is the only candidate that fits the bill and I am proud to support him.”
Liz Truss holding back-to-back farewell parties at Chequers
Liz Truss is holding a series of parities at Chequers, the prime minister’s country mansion, this weekend in a bid farewell to ministers and staff who supported her fleeting premiership.
The outgoing PM held a party for ministers last night, and will host a second shindig tonight to thank her close aides, reports The Sunday Times.
The bill for any private entertainment held at Chequers is footed by the PM.
The Tory MPs who called on Boris Johnson to resign in summer – but now want him back as PM again
It was only a few months ago that Boris Johnson was booted out of No 10 by Tory MPs after a three year premiership punctuated by scandals and poor governance.
Yet fast forward to the present day and a bevy of Conservative politicians have backed the former Mayor London to once again take the reins after Liz Truss’s resignation last week prompted a leadership contest.
Mr Johnson interrupted his holiday in the Carribbean to race back on Saturday to try and shore up support among backbenchers as he tries to beat former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt to Downing Street.
My colleague Joe Middleton has taken a look at what some of Mr Johnson’s supporters are saying now and what they said only a few months ago…
Work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith backs Rishi Sunak
Chloe Smith became the latest Cabinet minister to endorse Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership race.
The work and pensions secretary tweeted: “I spoke to Rishi Sunak about his hopes for our country, and I’ve been listening to my local members.
“I intend to back Rishi to be prime minister, acting in the national interest and achieving the stability and opportunity that our nation needs.”
Boris Johnson return to No 10 would ‘freeze’ relations with NI
Relations with Ireland will be “plunged into the freezer” if Boris Johnson returns as prime minister, an architect of the Good Friday peace agreement has warned.
Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair’s chief of staff and chief negotiator on Northern Ireland from 1997-2007, said it was vital to have someone “competent and capable” in Downing Street to get talks back on track.
You can read the full story by Andrew Woodcock here:
