Nightmare on Downing St
Infighting hitting MPS’ leadership racseuabsdsetacrkmemr ecadlls for election
THE frantic scramble of Tory hopefuls to succeed ousted Boris Johnson has been branded “a nightmare on Downing Street” by a Conservative backbencher.
Another compared the atmosphere with “the Upside Down” from Netflix horror smash Stranger Things – a hell dimension mirror-image of the real world which is inhabited by hideous beasts.
In sharp contrast to the Tories, Labour leader Keir Starmer is clear and calm.
Today, he is urging the Conservatives to call a general election, vowing he will beat any candidate they want to put up.
He is accusing the Prime Minister of “squatting in Downing Street” while Tory MPS who “parroted his lies” try to “wash their hands of him.”
Mr Starmer promises a fresh start – while Tory MPS descended into infighting as they jostle for position in the forthcoming leadership election.
Tory MPS are said to be urging their shop steward, Sir Graham Brady, to get Mr Johnson out of Downing Street as quickly as possible and have a new PM in place before July 21, the last day of Parliament before the summer break.
Finger
But a Whitehall insider was sceptical and said: “With all this infighting I cannot see them meeting this tight deadline for getting a new PM in place.”
The latest developments have seen Tory frontrunner Ben Wallace and Brexitbacker Steve Baker rule themselves out for the top job. But right-wing equalities minister Kemi Badenoch threw her hat in the ring.
Boris ally and new Education Minister Andrea Jenkyns yesterday defended giving voters the finger outside Downing Street moments after the PM’S resignation speech.
She branded the protesters outside the gates a “baying mob” and said she had “reached the end of my tether.” She said: “I responded and stood up for myself. Just why should anyone have to put up with this sort of treatment?”
But she added: “I should have shown more composure but I’m only human.”
Rival campaigns broke into infighting after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries warned Mr Johnson’s departure would unleash “the hounds of hell”.
And supporters of rival campaigns took pot shots at their opponents – with Liz Truss described as “mad” and “Boris in a dress”. Ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak was dubbed “socialist” by Tories furious at his tax hikes and meagre help package for families struggling in the cost-of-living crisis.
Nadhim Zahawi, who Boris Johnson made Chancellor only for him to call on the PM to resign the following day, was called an “idiot”.
And a cabinet minister said of ex-health Secretary Sajid Javid: “Every department he has run, he has run badly.”
Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-brown criticised Ms Dorries for her “hounds of hell” remark.
He told the Times Radio: “I think it’s not helpful. However we do this process we do want to unite the Conservative Party behind a candidate.”
Meanwhile, senior Tory Sir Charles Walker urged “no-hopers” to drop out of the race now and thin down the crowded
field – after it was compared with classic cartoon Wacky Races.
He said: “I hope some of the candidates who know they have no hope of leading our party actually decide to drop out for the greater good.”
Meanwhile, Mr Starmer is convinced what Britain really needs is a complete break from the Tories.
He said: “Every one of the main candidates to replace him has spent the last year touring the TV studios parroting his lies and propping up his reign. They can’t now attempt to wash their hands of him. Only by booting out the lot of them will Britain get the fresh start it needs. That’s why we need a general election now. My message to the Tories is simple: bring it on.”
As chaos sweeps through Tory ranks Sir Graham, chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, has been told by MPS to stop Mr Johnson squatting in Downing Street as fast as possible.
And he is being asked to whittle down the growing field of candidates to two before Parliament breaks up.
MPS are expected to begin voting in knockout rounds on Wednesday. And instead of putting the final choice between the last two standing to Tory members – which would take until September – the candidate with the fewest votes would agree to drop out in favour of the one with the most, just as Andrea Leadsom did for Theresa May in the 2016 contest.
That would remove Boris Johnson as PM quickly but infuriate the 200,000 party members by denying them a say in his replacement.
It could see current bookies’ favourites, Rishi Sunak and Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, do a Cabinet jobs deal in return for not standing in the way of a speedy No10 transition. Commons Administration Committee chair Sir Charles Walker told Radio 4: “One way you can truncate the process is if one of the names pulls out.”
Another proposal is to hold hustings by Zoom rather than let the two candidates tour the country.
Party members would then vote online, as the Conservative Councillors Association does for its leaders. That could wrap the process up in three weeks.
The 1922 Committee will elect a new ruling executive tomorrow, paving the way for the fast-track contest. To streamline the process even more, candidates may need the signatures of 20 MPS on ballot papers instead of the current 10.
Aaron Bell, hoping to get on the 1922 Committee, urged fellow MPS to look at their process for electing a leader while the Tories are in Government.
Another MP seeking election to the committee said: “It’s going to take a minimum of six weeks.
“Those who think it can be done sooner are just inexperienced berks.”