BORIS TACKLES HIS WOMAN PROBLEM
Liz Truss and ex-Remainer Nicky Morgan look set to land key Cabinet roles under the new PM
BORIS Johnson will promote Liz Truss and bring back former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan in an attempt to confront his ‘women problem’, allies believe.
The Tory leadership frontrunner is finalising his top team over the weekend in anticipation of defeating Jeremy Hunt when the result is announced on Tuesday.
Mr Johnson is understood to be determined to promote ‘ talented’ Conservative women to replace female allies of Mrs May’s who are likely to leave Cabinet.
Miss Morgan, who was Education Secretary under David Cameron before she was sacked by Theresa May, is in the running for a ministerial post.
The chairman of the Commons Treasury select committee was a leading supporter of Michael Gove. She also backed remain in 2016 and earlier this year signed up with a group of moderates opposed to a No Deal Brexit.
However, she is well liked and respected by Tory Brexiteers following her work on ‘Alternative arrangements’ to deal with the Northern Ireland border.
One source said: ‘ Nicky is pragmatic, she’s competent and she’s a One Nation Tory who’s adapted to Brexit.’ One insider in the Johnson camp told the Daily Mail that Miss Truss was still ‘in the running’ to be Chancellor along with Home Secretary Sajid Javid. ‘The reason it could be Liz is Boris is, like Liz, quite anti-convention and anti-establishment. She doesn’t like the nanny state and neither does he,’ they said.
‘He likes rebelling against convention. Liz is the same. They share a libertarian streak. Liz would be loyal to him.’
Two other possible Chancellor candidates, Matt Hancock and Dominic raab, are thought to have been excluded and will be given other jobs. Other women in the running for senior roles include Esther McVey and Priti Patel, who could replace Brandon Lewis as party chairman.
Describing Mr Johnson’s thinking about appointments, one senior ally told the Mail: ‘We have to unite the party and the country. We have to demonstrate from day one, not just in your speech but in what you do and how you structure your Cabinet. He wants to show generosity of spirit and magnanimity and that everyone can do their job competently.’
Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who finished a narrow third in the first round of the contest, will stay in the Cabinet – in a sign Mr Johnson wants to move on from their past rivalry.
Last week it emerged Mr Johnson will put a senior woman official from his time in City Hall in charge of his Downing Street policy unit. Munira Mirza, who served as deputy mayor for culture when Mr Johnson ran London, is understood to be in line to draw up his plan for government. Last night it emerged Mr Johnson has already spoken to Donald Trump.
The US President said the former foreign secretary would do a ‘great job’ after the pair had a telephone conversation on Thursday. ‘I like him,’ Mr Trump said.
Allies of Mr Johnson expect him to win by a convincing margin, with at least 60 per cent of the votes among Tory members.
■ Tory backbenchers on the 1922 Committee want new rules to protect the next premier from a confidence vote. Currently, Tory leaders who win a confidence vote – such as Mrs May last December – enjoy a year’s protection. But this does not automatically extend to an incoming leader.
This means Mr Johnson or Jeremy Hunt could in theory face a challenge as Tory leader within days of becoming prime minister if 15 per cent of the parliamentary party write to the 1922 chairman.
But former Tory minister Sam Gyimah said: ‘The 1922 cannot be refereeing and at the same time mucking up rules.’
‘Generosity of spirit’