Hunt can win over Left-wing voters, claims Mordaunt
JEREMY HUNT would be the best Tory leader because he can persuade Liberal Democrat and Green voters to switch to the Conservatives, his main Brexiteer backer has said.
Penny Mordaunt, the Defence Secretary and Equalities Minister, urged Tory members to elect Mr Hunt, saying he was “respectful” and could unite the party.
She also took a swipe at Boris Johnson by saying that party members wanted a candidate who had a plan to deliver Brexit.
She added that Mr Hunt has a plan and is “telling it like it is”.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Mordaunt said: “I would not support Jeremy if I did not think that not only can he beat Labour in a general election – Jeremy Corbyn as well – but also take on other parties.
“It is not a straight fight between us and Labour in every seat. We have also to make sure the Liberal Democrats don’t get another foothold, and other parties as well.
“If you look where we have won and won well, it’s because we have been able to reach out to people who are choosing between not just us and Labour, but us and the Liberals and the Greens.”
Ms Mordaunt’s remarks come after a YouGov poll found that 41 per cent of voters would prefer Mr Hunt to become prime minister, against 29 per cent for Mr Johnson.
The minister – who campaigned with Vote Leave to take the UK out of the EU in 2016 – said Mr Hunt had a better grasp of how to deliver Britain’s departure and could draw on his experience as foreign secretary.
She said: “My guy is telling it like it is. People do understand that this is not straightforward.
“One reason I’m supporting Hunt is because I think he has thought very carefully about how he is actually going to deliver it.
“So he spent a lot of time taking advice, consulting – he has spent a lot of time talking to nation leaders, as well as people in the European Commission.
“We can’t just sound like we can deliver Brexit – we actually have to do it. … It is not enough for us to put we want Brexit on our leaflets. It is not enough to complain it has not been delivered.”
However, Ms Mordaunt insisted a Johnson premiership would not be a
‘I think it’s about your ability to bring people together who have credibility, rapport and respect’
“disaster”, adding: “Both candidates have good qualities – I want this contest to be a positive contest …
“For me, Jeremy has the personal qualities to pull the party together but also the country as well.
“I think he is the most experienced candidate – Hunt.
“But I also think it’s about your ability to bring people together who have credibility, rapport and respect and you do that by respecting other people and I think that is Jeremy’s approach.
“We need someone that has respect because they are respectful.”
Ms Mordaunt was speaking in the run-up to the unveiling next week of a package of reforms which could see carers being given automatic leave and fresh measures to close the pay gap between men and women. She will set out her vision for gender equality in the UK with the publication of “Gender equality at all stages: A road map for change” on Wednesday.
She said it was “the biggest shake-up of … Government’s approach to supporting women and enabling them to reach their full potential”.
Ms Mordaunt will look at the best way for small firms to provide quality flexible working for all their staff.
Equal pay laws will also be reviewed and the review will “consider the circumstances where mandatory equal pay audits could be appropriate”.
Ms Mordaunt added: “We are not going to close the pay gap unless we address the fact that women are often prime carers because they step up and do their jobs.”