Theresa May to announce leadership bid
Theresa May will announce within days that she is standing to be leader of the Conservative Party. The Home Secretary, who painted herself as a “reluctant remainer”, is understood to have set up a campaign team as she prepares to take on the favourite, Boris Johnson.
THERESA MAY will announce within days that she is standing to be leader of the Conservative party.
The Home Secretary will make a speech later this week to make clear that she wants to stand against the favourite, Boris Johnson, the former London mayor, to be party leader.
Mrs May, who painted herself as a “reluctant remainer”, is understood to have set up a team around her in readiness for her challenge, which will be announced in the coming days.
One source close to Mrs May said: “There will be something this week.”
Last night, it also emerged that Amber Rudd, the Energy and Climate Change secretary, is being pushed as a candidate who can continue Mr Cameron’s modernisation agenda, while Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, who campaigned for Remain, is mulling a leadership bid and is set to make a statement later this week.
The Conservative Party’s board is due to meet tomorrow to rubber-stamp the election process and Mrs May’s announcement will be made in the days following. The speed of her announcement would show that she is hoping to become the “stop Boris” choice by coming out early as a candidate and giving her campaign momentum.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Mrs May was in talks yesterday with her key advisers ahead of what will be one of the biggest political weeks of her life.
She is likely to receive backing from MPs loyal to David Cameron, who are appalled at the way he had to resign after losing the referendum. One source close to Mr Cameron said at the weekend: “There is a special place in hell reserved for Boris. We need to get behind Theresa. She’s the grown-up.”
Among the Brexiteers expected to stand for the leadership are Dominic Raab, the justice minister; Andrea Leadsom, the Treasury minister, and Priti Patel, work and pensions minister. Challengers among pro-EU MPs could also include Stephen Crabb, the Work and Pensions Secretary; Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary and Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary.
‘There is a special place in hell reserved for Boris. We need to get behind Theresa. She’s the grown up’