Zahawi comes off the fence to give ‘booster’ Truss his backing
NADHIM ZAHAWI today formally endorses Liz Truss to be the next Conservative Party leader, contrasting her “booster” economic approach with her rival Rishi Sunak’s “doomster” attitude.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he says that Ms Truss “will overturn the stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way”.
He frames Mr Sunak, his predecessor in the Treasury, as a supporter of the “status quo”, arguing that a different agenda is needed to steer the UK economy through today’s “crisis”. His decision to drop his previous stance of not endorsing a candidate, indicated when he dropped out of the Tory leadership race, is a fillip to the Truss campaign.
It means the Foreign Secretary is now being backed by three former Tory leadership rivals, matching Mr Sunak. Ten current Cabinet ministers have endorsed her, compared with three for Mr Sunak.
Mr Zahawi writes: “Liz understands that the status quo isn’t an option in times of crisis. To quote the excellent economist Sam Bowman, we need a ‘booster’ attitude to the economy, not a ‘doomster’ one, in order to address cost of living woes and the challenges on the world stage. Liz will overturn the stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way.
“I’ve now got my feet under the desk in No11 Downing Street, and I can tell you that my Treasury officials are some of the most intelligent, professional and hard-working people anywhere in the world. But they need the political leadership to deliver a step-change in how we run the nation’s finances, and Liz’s plans for a low-tax economy that puts growth first are what we need.” Mr Zahawi was the minister who oversaw the Covid vaccine taskforce before being made education secretary last autumn and then, after Mr Sunak resigned last month, Chancellor.
He ran for the Conservative leadership himself, winning the backing of 25 Tory MPS in the first round of voting – below the 30-vote threshold needed to proceed.
At the time, Mr Zahawi indicated he would not endorse a candidate, tweeting after being dumped out of the race: “I don’t wish to make any further intervention.” He joins Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, and Tom Tugendhat, the foreign affairs committee chairman, on the list of former leadership rivals now backing Ms Truss.
Mr Sunak also has three such backers: Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and Rehman Chishti, the Foreign Office minister.
Ms Truss now comfortably leads among endorsements from members of Boris Johnson’s current Cabinet, by 10 to three. But a majority of Tory MPS more widely have backed Mr Sunak. Mr Zahawi points to Ms Truss’s record as Foreign Secretary in his article announcing his support, saying she has put “country before self ”.
He writes: “She stood up to the most appalling aggression from Russia and has been equal to the challenge, despite real threats against her as a result. She has toughened the UK’S stance on China, and been a leader rather than a follower on the international stage. That courage and clarity of conviction will be crucial in No10.”
Alongside their copy of The Daily Telegraph, this week many Britons will receive their Conservative Party leadership ballot papers. I have a message for this particularly discerning group of people, those who are both proud members of the Conservative Party and readers of this paper. That is a plea to vote for my friend Liz Truss to be our next prime minister.
Like me, Liz was a local Conservative councillor before being elected to Parliament and knows the hard work that our activists put in up and down the country to serve their communities and deliver Conservative victories at every level. We share a common love for this country and the values of enterprise, freedom and opportunity.
Liz is the best person to lead us through the 2020s, win the next election and steer the UK through these difficult times.
The first reason is that, as Chancellor, I’ve now seen the warning signs about the future. I took this job because I know that when the going gets tough, and when your country needs you, you have to stand up and be counted, putting country before self. Liz knows this too – at a time when freedom is under threat around the world, she stood up to the most appalling aggression from Russia and has been equal to the challenge, despite real threats against her as a result. She has toughened the UK’S stance on China, and been a leader rather than a follower on the international stage. That courage and clarity of conviction will be crucial in No10.
Courage will be needed at home as well. As the former education secretary, I know all too well the dangers of cancel culture. Free speech is under threat and Liz has been a great supporter of the Free Speech Bill going through Parliament. And as the father of a nine-year-old girl, I am reassured that Liz’s ability to accurately define a woman as an adult human female bodes well for her ability to stand up to the woke mob.
The second reason is that Liz understands that the status quo isn’t an option in times of crisis. To quote the economist Sam Bowman, we need a “booster” attitude to the economy, not a “doomster” one, in order to address cost of living woes and the challenges on the world stage. Liz will overturn the stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way.
I’ve now got my feet under the desk in 11 Downing Street, and I can tell you that my Treasury officials are some of the most intelligent, professional and hard-working people anywhere in the world. But they need the political leadership to deliver a step-change in how we run the nation’s finances, and Liz’s plans for a low-tax economy that puts growth first are what we need.
Growth is not just a buzzword – it means readers of this paper keeping more of what they earn and investing it in Britain; businesses able to take on more staff; and our world-beating innovation sectors having the funding to solve the problems of tomorrow. The Government needs to get out of the way and let the animal spirits of British industry drive us into a new era of prosperity. As a lifelong businessman, I know that Liz has the plan to make this a reality. If I were founding my old company Yougov in 2022, under a Liz Truss government, I would have every confidence for the future of the business and that she would make the UK the most businessfriendly country on Earth.
The third reason I urge members to vote for Liz is because we are in a national economic emergency. We need delivery, and Liz will be the delivery prime minister.
The next election will be won or lost for us Conservatives based on whether we deliver on our promises. Through Covid, as a government we didn’t just support vaccines getting developed and didn’t just get them into warehouses; in record time we got them into people’s arms – opening up the economy and saving many lives as a result. Liz is the candidate who can replicate that achievement for the challenges we are facing now. I know that she will deliver on the benefits of Brexit, the Protocol, and the energy crisis just as surely as she has delivered trade deals and delivered for Ukraine.
We can all trust Liz to do what she says she will. She keeps her promises, is direct and honest, and is relentlessly focused on getting things done.
She will lead her Cabinet as a team, while keeping her eye on the big picture – what matters for the public. So for her leadership, her economic plans, and her ability to deliver, I am proud to be voting for Liz Truss. You should, too.