Truss is the candidate of hope, declares Mordaunt
Trade minister backs Tory leadership frontrunner, saying she has the ‘graft and authenticity’ to win
PENNY MORDAUNT last night backed Liz Truss to become prime minister, hailing her as the “hope candidate”.
Intervening just hours before the first votes were set to be cast, the former defence secretary, who came third in the Conservative leadership contest, said deciding between Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak had been “difficult” but that she had “seen enough”.
Introducing Ms Truss at a hustings in Exeter, she continued: “Her graft, her authenticity, her determination, her ambition for this country, her consistency and sense of duty – she knows what she believes in, and her resolve to stand up against tyranny and fight for freedom.
“That’s what our country stands for and that’s why I know with her we can win. And, actually, seeing her over the last few weeks has made me want to help her, to help her win, to help build the team we need to win the country, and to give ourselves – as a party and as a nation – the pride and confidence we need to reach our full potential.
“In short, folks, to give us all hope. She, for me, is the hope candidate.”
Ms Mordaunt is the latest, and one of the most significant, Tory MPS to give their backing to the Foreign Secretary in recent days, coming after Nadhim Zahawi endorsed her in The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
She also secured the support of Tom Tugendhat and Ben Wallace.
Ms Mordaunt came second in four of the five rounds of leadership voting among Tory MPS before losing out to Ms Truss in the final round, but with the support of 105 MPS, or just under a third of the parliamentary party.
As ballot papers began to arrive with Tory members yesterday, Ms Truss appeared to have a commanding lead in the race.
Surveys have put her well ahead of Mr Sunak, although private polling by her team, leaked to The Times last night, had her only five points in front.
It comes as, writing in The Daily Telegraph today, Ms Truss pledges to govern and fight the next election as a “true blue Conservative”.
She states: “I believe people should be able to go wherever their hard work and talents take them. I believe in low taxes, not just because they are good for our economy but because I believe in reward for effort. I am for people who do the right thing, and who take personal responsibility.
“As prime minister I will govern in line with these values. I will deliver on the promises we made to the British people in 2019 by governing as a true blue Conservative, and fighting the next election as a true blue Conservative.”
Ms Truss also unveiled plans to crack down on Whitehall waste, promising to cut the salaries of civil servants working outside London and to cull diversity and inclusion roles within the Civil Service.
Allies of the Foreign Secretary said the reforms, which also include curbing taxpayer money going to trade union work, would save around £11billion. Last night’s endorsement by Ms Mordaunt was a surprise, given the acrimonious briefing war that erupted between the pair during the earlier stages of the leadership contest.
Ms Mordaunt accused her rivals of waging a “black ops” campaign against her over a series of negative headlines about her views on gender issues.
Tory MPS who backed her tilt at No10 later hatched a “stop Liz Truss” campaign to persuade their local constituency members to back Mr Sunak in the vote between the final two.
However, last night Ms Mordaunt said: “I’ve seen enough to know who the person I’m going to put my faith in is, and that is Liz Truss.”
Ms Mordaunt joked that she “could be off sipping piña coladas right now”, but told members that “I owe it to all of you to be a signpost, not a weather vane”. In a seeming criticism of Mr Sunak’s resistance to immediate tax cuts, she added: “Liz knows what our nation needs now and that isn’t timidity.
“We need a bold economic vision, not the status quo, and someone who can get the hard things done.”
Asked about the prior briefing war, Ms Truss lavished praise on her newest supporter as “a great politician” and someone “I’m proud to call my friend”.
“She ran a brilliant leadership campaign and I’m absolutely delighted she’s decided to back me and become part of my team.”
The Tories need “all the best players on the pitch to win the next election”, said Ms Truss, adding that she would make sure to “unite the party”.
Her announcement came as Mr Sunak, who started off as the frontrunner in the leadership race but whose momentum has since stalled, attempted to turn around his struggling campaign.
The former chancellor has looked to challenge Ms Truss on tax cuts by pledging a 20 per cent cut to income tax by the end of the decade.
His camp also attacked the Foreign Secretary’s plans to expand the visa scheme for European fruit pickers, saying her “true Remainer colours are starting to show”.