Rudd’s dig at Boris rivals fuels rumours she will crown him PM
Minister widely seen as kingmaker could sign pact to elect Johnson leader in return for high office
SHE memorably described him as “not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening” but Amber Rudd’s criticism of leadership candidates parading their wives appeared to push Boris Johnson into pole position for her support last week.
In a swipe at rivals Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab, the Work and Pensions Secretary told Newsnight on BBC Two: “I don’t think we need to parade partners in the way that we have been seeing. This shouldn’t be some Game of Thrones push for the Iron Throne. We’ve all got important jobs to do.”
It came after both the Foreign Secretary and the former Brexit secretary spoke about their wives in weekend interviews setting out their stalls before the Tory leadership race.
Mr Hunt, 52, said that his Chineseborn wife, Lucia, was the “perfect partner”, to help him build relationships with “foreigners because she is herself foreign”.
Mr Raab, 45, conducted a joint interview with his wife, Erika Rey, in which she said that
“as a Brazilian” she would have voted to leave the EU.
By comparison Mr Johnson rarely paraded Marina, his wife of 25 years. Last year the couple announced they were divorcing amid allegations of an extramarital affair.
Although Ms Rudd’s own chances of succeeding Theresa May are slim, the 55-year-old is seen as a kingmaker, with candidates vying for her support. The Daily Telegraph has learnt that Ms Rudd, who supported Mr Johnson as leader in 2016, recently met with Sajid Javid, her successor as Home Secretary. That came after a breakfast meeting at Westminster’s Corinthia hotel with Mr Hunt, dinner at Roux at Parliament Square with Michael Gove and several meetings with Mr Johnson in recent months. She is also said to be close to Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, while Rory Stewart, the International Development Secretary, is in her One Nation group of moderates. Could her latest intervention suggest that she is swinging towards the joint ticket with Mr Johnson? Dubbed “Bamber” by allies of the two former foes, under the plan Ms Rudd would swing the support of her 50-strong group of pro-remain MPS behind a Boris leadership in an attempt to heal the party’s increasingly bitter Brexit split. A source close to the divorced mother-of-two said: “Boris has already offered her the chancellorship. “She’s not planning to run although has left the door very slightly ajar but ... the big thing for her is she wants one of the top jobs: chancellor, deputy PM or foreign secretary. Not for the status but because she wants her progressive voice to be heard at the top of the party, championing women’s values and One Nation Conservatism.
“That comment about not wanting Boris to drive you home was made during a pretty heated referendum campaign. One comment does not sum up Amber’s relationship with Boris.” Suggesting that compromises would be needed for Mr Johnson to win her support, the source added: “She is against no deal so we’ll have to see how Boris’s position unfolds.” Sources close to Mr Johnson denied that he had offered anyone a job but admitted that he had discussed a pact with Ms Rudd.