Why did this dress spark so much chatter?
Surge to second in Tory leadership race sparks plot by grandees to stop her taking on Theresa
ANDREA Leadsom was labelled a ‘novice’ last night by supporters of Michael Gove and Theresa May as she surged to second place in the leadership battle.
The energy minister – a relative unknown outside Westminster – was the subject of a ‘get Andrea’ campaign after picking up 66 votes, mainly from MPs who backed Brexit.
Some even claimed that Tory whips may be colluding to suppress support for her in order to keep her off the ballot.
Bookmakers are now expecting her to make the final two and go on to a ballot of party members alongside Mrs May, guaranteeing the country its second female Prime Minister.
But her lack of cabinet experience at a time of significant national uncertainty was promptly put under the spotlight.
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd – who is backing Mrs May – said of her departmental colleague: ‘You don’t need a novice right now.’ In a brutal assessment, which made pointed reference to her inexperience, Miss Rudd said: ‘Andrea Leadsom is a very good junior energy minister.’
She told Sky News: ‘She does not have the experience, the depth, the relationships, the connections.’
MPs said that – while Home Secretary Mrs May had publicly rejected tactical voting – her supporters could ‘unilaterally’ lend their support to Mr Gove.
Senior party figures are concerned that Mrs Leadsom lacks the ‘judgment and experience’ to pilot the country through the stormy post-Brexit period.
By keeping her off the ticket, they said, the country would at least be guaranteed to have a PM with six years of cabinet experience inside Number Ten.
Insiders say it is notable that, in recent days, former and current Treasury ministers – including key allies of George Osborne – have joined the May camp.
One said: ‘There is trouble hurtling down the tracks. This is not the time for somebody unproven’.
Meanwhile Mrs Leadsom also came under attack from one of the most senior figures in the Gove camp, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.
In a clear swipe at the energy minister – who has never held Cabinet Office – Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: ‘We need to put forward two heavyweights to our people in the country to make sure they get a really genuine choice between two quite different agendas.’
Ex-defence secretary Liam Fox, lining up alongside Mrs May after being eliminated from the contest, also appeared to dismiss Mrs Leadsom, a former banker.
He said he had sought to ‘stress the need for experience as the successful candidate will have to take up the reins of government in less than nine weeks’.
Defence minister Penny Mordaunt, who is backing Mrs Leadsom, said it was now clear that ‘the momentum is with her’.
Friends claim party managers want the final contest to be a run-off between Mrs May and Mr Gove. Mrs Leadsom’s campaign manager Chris Heaton-Harris said Mr Gove had ‘done well with a little help from his friends’. But he insisted Mrs Leadsom’s momentum would be hard to stop, adding: ‘From a standing start to a strong second place is a great result.’
Iain Duncan Smith, who is backing Mrs Leadsom, predicted she would now go forward to the final two. He said: ‘It’s a fantastic result for Andrea, from a standing start on Wednesday evening she got 66. No one thought she would get 66.’
Backbencher Nadine Dorries – who also backs Mrs Leadsom – said that the energy minister outperformed expectations. She added: ‘I think it’s an absolutely sterling result for who she is, just into her second year (as a minister). I think it’s a fantastic result, we’re very pleased with 66.’
Former Cabinet Minister John Redwood – another Leadsom backer – urged MPs to resist calls to vote tactically against her.
He said: ‘I would urge all colleagues to vote for the person they think would make the best prime minister – but I can’t speak for the motives of all my colleagues.’
Mrs Leadsom played a prominent role for Vote Leave, taking part in two TV debates. During one debate, she clashed repeatedly with her boss Miss Rudd. They have since had a reconciliation lunch.
On Monday evening, Mrs Leadsom received the boost of getting the backing of fellow Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, who said she had the ‘zap and determination’ to succeed.
She has been dogged by off-the-record briefings about her lack of experience, as well as the fact that Ukip-backing multimillionaire Arron Banks is pushing her case. Opponents also claimed that her appearance at a Tory hustings event earlier this week was a ‘car crash’.
The leadership hopeful was speaking at a crucial hustings ahead of yesterday’s first vote towards choosing the nation’s next PM. To the astonishment of some MPs, she said her agenda was ‘bankers, Brussels and babies’.
At her launch, Mrs Leadsom was confronted with claims that she was a ‘disaster’ in her time as the City minister.
One Treasury official told the FT: ‘She was the worst minister we’ve ever had.’ Another said: ‘She found it difficult to understand issues or take decisions.’
‘She does not have the experience’