Penny’s now in the Truss camp
Major coup for leadership frontrunner as third-placed Mordaunt supports former rival
PENNY Mordaunt last night threw her support behind Liz Truss in a major coup for the frontrunner’s leadership campaign.
The trade minister dramatically declared she was backing her former rival at the start of a hustings event for party members.
She had not been expected to endorse either finalist after coming third in the contest.
But taking to the stage in Exeter last night, she said the choice of the next Conservative Party leader was ‘too important’ to be left to chance.
She said she had decided to back Miss Truss, paying tribute to her ‘graft, her authenticity, her determination, her ambition for this country, her consistency and sense of duty’.
‘She knows what she believes in, and her resolve to stand up against tyranny and fight for freedom – that’s what our country stands for.
‘And that’s why I know with her we can win,’ Miss Mordaunt said. ‘She for me is the “hope” candidate.’ The unexpected backing came just hours after another former leadership candidate, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, lent his support to Miss Truss.
Mr Zahawi – who previously claimed he would not endorse a candidate when he dropped out of the contest – praised her ‘booster’ approach to the economy in contrast to that of her ‘doomster’ rival Rishi Sunak.
‘Liz will overturn stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way,’ Mr Zahawi wrote in The Daily Telegraph, as he became the tenth member of the current Cabinet to back her, comfact
pared with eight for her rival. Answering questions about her personal life, the Foreign Secretary said she ‘shared the values’ of the Church of England but was not a regular worshipper, and if she had not gone into politics she would have liked to have been a food critic.
Asked where the money was going to come from for her tax cuts and infrastructure investment, she replied: ‘Thriving enterprises, thriving businesses and economic growth’. She added: ‘If we tax people and businesses too much, and we’re currently got the highest tax rates for 70 years in our country, we will throttle that growth.’
But she suggested she would offer her rival a role in Government if she became prime minister, saying: ‘Of course I would have Rishi Sunak as part of my team, he’s a fantastic guy and we need all of our best talent on the pitch.’ Mr Sunak, who faced
fresh accusations of performing a U-turn on his opposition to tax cuts yesterday – as well as only making promises for ‘mañana’ – sought to revitalise his campaign by portraying himself as the ‘change candidate’ at the hustings.
He pointed out that Miss Truss was ‘the longest serving minister in the cabinet, and was in the cabinet before I was an MP’.
And he again highlighted the he backed Britain leaving the EU while his rival supported Remain.
‘When it came to the Brexit referendum we did have a bunch of doomsday predictions which I remember certain people were campaigning on. I supported change. I supported
Brexit, I believed in my principles then, and I believe in my principles now.’ Mr Sunak, who was introduced at the hustings by Conservative former cabinet minister Liam Fox, told the audience he would improve the West Country’s infrastructure if he becomes prime minister.
‘Levelling up is not just about the North, it’s about the South West too,’ he said. Referring to the Devon by-election the Tories lost in June, the ex-chancellor said winning the next general election ‘starts with winning back Tiverton and Honiton’.
Again accused of being disloyal to Boris Johnson, Mr Sunak said he could not have carried on as his chancellor because they were ‘on a different page on economic policy’.
He was also told by a small business owner that his planned corporation tax hike would ‘kill’ his enterprise, but replied that it would only affect large firms.
‘We need all our best talent’
‘I supported change’