Rishi Sunak has gained a valuable ally in his likely bid for No 10 as Boris Johnson backers were challenged over claims he has reached the magic number required to secure a spot on the Conversative Party ballot paper.
In a blow to Mr Johnson’s potential campaign to seek a second stint in Downing Street, International Trade Secretary and former leadership contender Kemi Badenoch threw her weight behind the ex-chancellor, insisting now is not the time for “nostalgia for the cavalier elan of 2019”.
While she admitted she had “on occasion” been a member of “the Boris Johnson fan club”, she said the Tories are not “organising a popularity contest”, and stressed the party is “not a vehicle for any one individual’s personal ambitions”.
It comes as Mr Johnson has returned to the UK to plot a bid to rerun for the top job in a move that has divided opinion among Conservative MPs, including his former allies.
He arrived at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning with his family after breaking off a holiday in the Dominican Republic in the wake of Liz Truss’s dramatic resignation on Thursday.
He was rumoured to be planning talks with Mr Sunak on Saturday – possibly face to face – but reports suggested there had been a delay.
Sir James Duddridge, a Johnson ally, claimed the ex-PM had the backing of the 100 MPs required to make it on to Monday’s ballot.
But Sunak supporter Richard Holden cast doubt on this suggestion, arguing the equivalent public declarations had not yet manifested “because they don’t exist”.
Sir Robert Syms, another Sunak backer, wrote on Twitter: “If Boris has 100 in the bag why is his campaign putting out pics of him begging for votes?”
If Boris has 100 in the bag why is his Campaign putting out pics of him begging for votes ?
Advertisement— Sir Robert Syms MP (@RobertSyms) October 22, 2022
Despite being the only candidate to declare so far, Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is lagging behind on public support from MPs, with just 21 to Mr Johnson’s 43 and Mr Sunak’s 110, according to a PA news agency tally.
Setting out her plan to “unite the party and the country” in The Express, she warned the Tories have “let ourselves become distracted by internal disputes”.
Ms Mordaunt used her pitch to stress the need to “make Brexit work”, “focus on the potential of all our citizens” and “defend our Union and its territorial integrity”, pledging her support for reforming the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol.
She insisted she is not seeking the top job for an “easy ride”, and vowed to build a government which “draws from all our best talent”.
“As prime minister, I will create that team of Conservatives, we will get real, and we will get to work,” she added.
The party needs a unifying figure to do what’s right for the UK. At this moment, I believe that person is Rishi. I’m a fan of Boris but his return, given all that’s happened would not bring people together. We all need to set aside our differences and work for the greater good. https://t.co/xVZdoXU0rw pic.twitter.com/ILxXJoyF0s
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) October 22, 2022
Writing in The Sunday Times, Ms Badenoch said her party must remind people that “Conservatives care about the country, not ourselves”.
“Everything we do must be for the greater good and must be seen to be for the greater good, rather than just winning elections,” she said.
The International Trade Secretary suggested Mr Sunak would bring a “disciplined approach” to Government, citing his “fiscal conservativism” and stressing that “right now, being able to say no is what we need”.
She said everyone in the party will need to make “sacrifices” to prove to people the Tories can “unite”.
For her, this means refraining from a second leadership bid, she said, while some will have to forsake a job in Government under their preferred candidate “so that others can be brought into the tent”.
