Suella Braverman has backed Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, to be the next Tory leader after being eliminated from the contest to be the next Prime Minister.
Ex-Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, came first in the latest round of voting, with Penny Mordaunt second and Mrs. Truss placing third. Mrs. Truss has been looking to pick up support from the right of the party in a bid to reach the final two.
Moreover, former Brexit Minister, Lord Frost, is urging fourth-placed, Kemi Badenoch, to step down in order to back Mrs. Truss. Tom Tugendhat is the fifth candidate in the contest. Tory Members of Parliament will whittle the runners down to two through a series of votes before a postal ballot of Conservative Party members will decide the winner.
Suggestions for a Better Offer
Lord Frost gave the Foreign Secretary his endorsement before the first of three televised debates later among the candidates. In a publication, Frost suggested that former Equalities Minister, Mrs. Badenoch should pull out of the race “in return for a serious job in a Truss administration”.
“We need unity among free marketeers. Kemi and Suella Braverman set out convincing programmes, with differing emphases, for change. But Liz’s depth of experience, her energy and ideas, as well as the simple fact that she has the most votes of the three, puts her in the lead.”
former Brexit Minister, Lord Frost
However, Mrs. Badenoch’s campaign said she “has no intention of stepping down and is in it to win”. According to the Spokesman for the MP, she brought “interesting ideas and a new approach to the contest”. The five candidates will take part in debates on Friday, July 15, 2022, Sunday, July 17, 2022, and Tuesday, July 19, 2022.
Backing for Liz Truss
Former Brexit Minister, Steve Baker, also backed Mrs. Truss, and report suggests that most of the 27 Tory Members of Parliament who voted for Mrs. Braverman in round two are expected to do the same.
Attorney General, Mrs. Braverman styled herself as the only “authentic” Brexiteer candidate in contention, pointing to her resignation as a Brexit Minister under Theresa May over the former Prime Minister’s deal. She told reporters that Mrs. Truss is the best candidate to deliver upon “our Brexit promises”, and would take a “firm line” on illegal migration, freedom of speech and cutting taxes.
Meanwhile, Ex-Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is still in pole position after winning 101 votes in Thursday’s (July 14, 2022) ballot, followed by Trade Minister, Mrs. Mordaunt, who gained the most momentum with 83 votes, with Mrs. Truss securing 64 votes. Like Mrs. Badenoch, who came fourth with 49 votes, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Tom Tugendhat, fifth with 32 votes, said he is determined to stay in the contest.
The next round of voting, when the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, takes place on Monday, July 18, 2022. The final result will be announced on September 5, 2022, when Boris Johnson will exit office.
Mr. Sunak now topped the first two ballots of Members of Parliament, with other candidates scrambling to join him in the final run-off. His decision to quit as Chancellor last week was one of the first in a wave of ministerial resignations that forced Mr. Johnson to stand down as Tory leader.
Allies of Mr. Johnson accused Mr. Sunak of orchestrating the Prime Minister’s downfall and have been fiercely critical of tax hikes he introduced while serving as Chancellor. But a member of Mr. Sunak’s team intimated that the former Chancellor would “keep going with solid messaging on the economic agenda”, claiming that other candidates backed away from their pledges.
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