TORIES BATTLE TO STOP BORIS
The day after the defeat before... Cameron the PM who lost his war
LEADING Tories are fighting to become the ‘stop Boris’ candidate in the race to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister.
Boris Johnson’s chief leadership rival is Theresa May, but Jeremy Hunt, Nicky Morgan, Stephen Crabb and Andrea Leadsom – and possibly George Osborne – are all poised to launch challenges, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Conser- vative MPs have been bombarded with calls from allies of would-be candidates seeking support since Mr Cameron announced he is to stand down following his shock defeat in the EU referendum – with Johnson strongly tipped to replace him after leading the Leave campaign to an against-all-odds victory.
The Tory leadership manoeuvrings came amid continuing turmoil over the Brexit referendum triumph. Last night:
Pro EU Conservative grandee Michael Heseltine said the result could lead to ‘the death of the Tory Party’;
The EU dealt a blow to Nicola Sturgeon’s
renewed bid for Scottish independence, insisting the whole of the UK must quit the union;
Vote Leave’s claims that they would slash immigration appeared to unravel after one of their leaders said there would be no change to the current EU freedom of movement rule;
European leaders stepped up their campaign to speed up Britain’s exit from the EU, with a demand from an ally of French President Francois Hollande for Cameron to be ‘replaced immediately’;
A Mail on Sunday poll showed seven per cent of those who voted Leave, equal to more than one million people, now regret having done so. Four per cent of Remain voters also regretted their decision;
Credit agency Moody’s cut Britain’s outlook to ‘negative’ – meaning our credit rating could be downgraded;
Boris Johnson’s economics adviser Gerard Lyons said that the City would withstand the economic shock of the Brexit vote.
The complex negotiations to cut Britain’s ties from Brussels and the challenge to keep the economy on track, stave off the constitutional crisis in Scotland, and bring warring Tory factions together means there will be no honeymoon period for whoever wins the Tory leadership contest.
They will also face calls for a General Election to prove they have a mandate.
In today’s Mail on Sunday, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries, a leading Johnson supporter, called on other candidates to stand aside so he can become Prime Minister immediately without a ‘bloody and disabling’ leadership contest.
However other Tories say a contest is vital.
Some argue say that, for all his charisma, Mr Johnson would not make a good Prime Minister.
Others claim that, after his involvement in so called ‘blue on blue’ attacks by Tories on each other during the brutal referendum campaign, an alternative candidate would have a better chance of uniting the party.
‘As far as I’m concerned it’s about ABB – Anyone But Boris,’ said one Tory MP who played a prominent role in the Remain campaign.
Although none of the candidates have formally announced their intention to stand, the greatest threat to Mr Johnson could come from Home Secretary Mrs May.
When asked to choose between him and Mrs May in a head-to-head contest – mirroring the Conservative leadership contest rules – Mrs May has a small but significant lead among Party supporters, 53 per cent to 47. Among all voters, the two are level pegging.
Mrs May’s decision to keep a low profile during the referendum was seen by some as a deliberate attempt to avoid alienating either the pro or anti-EU Tory factions. She is the longest-serving Home Secretary in more than a century and has been praised for her statesmanlike skills, as well as her penchant for kitten heeled stilettoes.
Ms Morgan, a protégé of Mr Osborne, was promoted to Education Secretary before the Election after Michael Gove’s policies were judged to have been too controversial. Energy Minister Ms Leadsom won plaudits for her leading Vote Leave role alongside Mr Johnson in the TV referendum debates.
Health Secretary Hunt survived a fierce battle with striking junior doctors. While the dark horse candi- date is Work and Pensions Secretary Crabb, 43, the product of a one parent family and whose wife Beatrice is French.
Mr Osborne has not yet formally ruled out a challenge, though some Brexit Tory MPs say his role in what they describe as the Remain camp’s ‘Project Fear’ effectively rules him out as a contender.
Many Tories say Mr Johnson’s Vote Leave ally, erudite Mr Gove, the adopted son of an Aberdeen fish trader, would make a far better Prime Minister than Johnson himself – but Mr Gove is expected to rule himself out of the running in the next few days.
The Conservative Party’s 1922 executive committee meets at the Commons tomorrow to discuss a timetable for the leadership contest. Their plan will then be submitted for approval to the Conservative Party board on Tuesday.
Conservative MPs are set to be asked to whittle down the candidates to a shortlist of two by July 21, when Parliament’s summer recess begins.
The Tory Party’s 150,000 members will then choose between the two in a postal ballot, with the result announced by the Conservative Party conference in October.
‘For me, it’s ABB – Anyone But Boris’