Leadsom fires first shots as leadership battle begins in earnest

The Leader of the House’s resignation starts race to succeed Theresa May, as Tory hopefuls seek to win support and raise funds for campaigns

Christopher Hope, Steven Swinford Anna Mikhailova

THE resignation of Andrea Leadsom last night is the clearest signal yet that the phoney war to be Theresa May’s successor is nearly over.

Mrs Leadsom’s decision to quit as Leader of the House of Commons was seen as an attempt to steal a march on her rivals and get her ill-concealed leadership campaign under way.

The scale of secret preparations among Tory MPS who want to succeed Mrs May was laid bare earlier this week when challengers were forced to disclose donations to their private offices.

Former Cabinet ministers Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid have the most advanced campaigns, with Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, widely seen as a dark horse.

The most recent version of the MPS’ register of members’ interests, published this week, revealed Mr Javid pulled in £50,000 from major Tory donors who backed both Leave and Remain on May 8.

Mr Johnson raised £130,000 from October to April, while Mr Raab has raised more than £115,000, including £44,000 from a banking group run by Tory donor Sir Henry Angest.

Of other potential contenders, Rory Stewart, the International Development Secretary, received £9,000 from two donors in January. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, raised £15,000 in December and January.

Other suggested rivals such as Brexit Minister James Cleverly, Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Esther Mcvey, the former Cabinet minister, have made no declarations, which would suggest there is about to be a rapid whittling down in the leadership field.

Both Mrs Leadsom and Mr Hunt, who are both independently very wealthy, have no need to raise funds from donors.

Mr Johnson – who recently took over a big office in Parliament – has appointed well-liked former Tory MP James Wharton to win over his colof leagues. He conducted “speed dating sessions” last week, meeting Tory MPS for 15 minutes at a time to set out his vision for the future of the party.

Jacob Rees-mogg has been urging MPS to back Boris Johnson at political salons in his town house

Mr Johnson has also won the crucial backing of Gavin Williamson, the former defence secretary, who ran Mrs May’s leadership campaign in 2016.

Jacob Rees-mogg, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) Brexiteer Tory MPS, has also swung his weight behind Mr Johnson. He has been urging MPS to back Mr Johnson at political salons in his town house.

Sir Lynton Crosby, who advised David Cameron for his startling 2015 election victory, is said to be heavily involved in Mr Johnson’s campaign.

Mr Johnson made a pitch to win over ERG hardliners this week when he said he would not back Mrs May’s latest withdrawal deal.

However, the former foreign secretary has also been attempting to win over a group of moderate “one nation” Tories, led by Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and including six Cabinet ministers, among them David Gauke. Mr Johnson said: “One na

tion values have never been more important”.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who is close to Ms Rudd, was also accused of “cosying up” to Mr Johnson yesterday. Previously critical of him, she said: “I have worked with him when he was foreign secretary. I will work with whoever the prime minister is.”

Mr Raab is advised by Paul Stephenson, a senior figure in the Vote Leave campaign for the EU referendum, and James Starkie, a former media adviser to Mr Gove.

MPS supporting him include former ministers Maria Miller, Shailesh Vara, Sir Hugo Swire, Suella Braverman and Shailesh Vara, along with former ministerial aide Robert Courts. He has also secured the support of his old mentor David Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, along with a grouping of Remain and Leave Tory MPS.

Mr Raab has repeatedly made clear that he is prepared to leave the EU without a deal and is seen as the most hardline of the Eurosceptic candidates.

On Monday, he used a panel debate organised by The Daily Telegraph to make a call for a 1p-a-year cut in basic rate income tax over five years.

Mr Hunt, who has been calling in MPS for one-to-one chats, is said to have secured the support of more than 70 Tory MPS and has made a series of policy announcements outside his brief as Foreign Secretary.

Earlier this month, he embarked on a high-profile trip to five African countries, accompanied by his wife Lucia, on which he warned against allowing Chinese giants Huawei to build the UK’S new 5G mobile network.

Mr Hunt and Mr Javid addressed Tory MPS at separate dinners organised by the Social Justice Coalition and the Centre for Social Justice in the Commons in recent months.

As well as high-profile donors, Mr Javid has been meeting Tory MPS and is being advised by former Vote Leave director Matthew Elliott.

Earlier this week, Ms Mcvey called for billions of pounds of foreign aid to be channelled into policing and schools in a pitch to “blue collar” Conservative voters.