New backers give Hunt momentum

Jeremy Hunt is being tipped as the leading challenger to Boris Johnson after securing two key endorsements in 24 hours.

The Foreign Secretary unveiled Penny Mordaunt, the Defence Secretary, as the latest Tory MP to back him, after the Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd gave him her support on Sunday.

Mr Hunt now has just three fewer endorsements than Michael Gove, as the Environment Secretary’s campaign falters over the revelation that he took cocaine while attacking middle-class drug use in newspaper articles. Mr Gove’s camp had hoped to win Ms Rudd’s support.

Ms Mordaunt told a campaign launch event that Mr Hunt had “credibility from all sides”, adding: “I trust him on Brexit.”

The Foreign Secretary, who campaigned to Remain but now says he would allow a no-deal departure from the EU, warned the Tories will be “annihilated” if they fight a general election before delivering Brexit.

Mr Hunt signalled he could extend Brexit beyond 31 October if an agreement was in sight, warning that “any Prime Minister who promised to leave by a certain date would have to call a general election to change the parliamentary arithmetic, and that is an election we would lose badly.”

He said: “If we fight an election before delivering Brexit we will be annihilated, squeezed by the Brexit Party on the right and the Lib Dems on the left. “We will simply allow Labour through the middle. And, if that happened nationally it would be the end of Brexit.”

In a swipe at Boris Johnson, Mr Hunt attacked what he called “empty rhetoric” on Brexit and said: “We need to get real. We are facing a constitutional crisis. Our new Prime Minister will preside over a hung Parliament. A serious moment calls for a serious leader.”