A leading Tory commentator has said Rishi Sunak should not lead the Conservative Party into the general election in the latest bodyblow to the prime minister.
Tim Montgomerie, founder of ConservativeHome, told the BBC’s Daily Politics show that the party was in “freefall” amid the Labour Party’s double-digit poll lead.
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It comes amid speculation unsettled Tory MPs are lining up Penny Mordaunt as a replacement for Sunak if he faced a no confidence vote before the general election. On Tuesday night, a Telegraph report suggested Tom Tugendhat is also being discussed as a “unity candidate” to replace the PM.
Montgomerie cited Robert Jenrick’s resignation as immigration minister, when he said Sunak wanted to enact a Rwanda policy “that would be enough to look like he was doing something but wouldn’t actually do something to actually solve the problem”.
“That, I’m afraid, is why I’ve reluctantly taken the decision … I think Rishi Sunak has to go as prime minister before the before the general election, because he just can’t do politics.
“I think he’s a good man, a family man, a decent man in public life for the right reasons.
“I study politics incredibly closely. I don’t really know what he wants to be prime minister for, what his ambition is, what legislation he wants to pass.”
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He added: “If we have any chance at the next election of minimising the scale of defeat, we need to go into the election with an agenda for the future of this country. At the moment, I don’t even know what that is.”
“I have reluctantly taken the decision that Rishi Sunak has to go as Prime Minister,” says Conservative Home founder @montie, “before the general election. He just can’t do politics… At the moment the party is in freefall and I think that can’t go on.” ~AA #PoliticsLivepic.twitter.com/n1nJdSdfR7
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt hinted the prime minister could go to the country in October, but Tory plotters may seek to oust him before then if the party’s fortunes do not improve.
Sunak will face prime minister’s Questions and then a behind-closed-doors appearance in front of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee on Wednesday.
A video has re-emerged of Penny Mordaunt backing Liz Truss amid mounting speculation she could be the next prime minister.
The clip, which has been watched more than half a million times in the last 24 hours, shows Mordaunt praising Truss’s “bold economic plan”.
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She also claims Truss “embodies the vision and values the British public”.
The video was filmed during the first Tory leadership contest of 2022, after Mordaunt had left the race.
In a speech to Tory members, she says: “Who can lead? Who can build that team and deliver for pour country? Who does have that bold economic plan that our nation needs?
“Who’s got reach, who can relate to people, who understands that people need help with the cost of living now? And who is going to rightly clobber our opponents?
“Who is going to hold seats and win back councils, and who most embodies the vision and values the British public had in their heads and their hearts when they voted in 2016 and 2019?
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“At the start of this final phase of the contest I didn’t know the answer to those questions, but I’ve seen enough to know who the person that I’m going to put my faith in is. And that is Liz Truss.”
Truss went on to last just 49 days in No.10 after her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget triggered an economic crisis.
Tory rebels are reportedly planning to oust Rishi Sunak and replace him with with Mordaunt as the opinion polls continue to suggest the party is heading for catastrophe at the general election.
But the video of Mordaunt endorsing Truss has led social media users to question her suitability to lead the country.
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What terrible judgement. And what a terrible leader she would be herself.
Commons leader Mordaunt used a bizarre defence today as Donelan came under fire from MPs.
She praised her colleague for refusing to accept the redundancy payment she was entitled to in 2022 when she was education secretary for just two days during the downfall of Boris Johnson.
Mordaunt said: “When [Donelan] was entitled to redundancy payments from being secretary of state, which was £16,000, she did not take that and handed it back to the department because it was the right thing to do.
“I would just remind people of that. I think that speaks volumes about the honourable lady’s character and how much she values the fact that it is taxpayers’ money that we are talking about.”
The Labour leader said the jibe was “water off a duck’s back” and said the government had “run out of energy, ideas and the ability to shape or change anything”.
Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, launched her attack last week after the Starmer said Rishi Sunak was “inaction man”.
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Continuing the child’s toy theme, Mordaunt compared Starmer to Beach Ken from Barbie.
Referring to Starmer’s dig at the PM, she said: “I don’t think that line will survive contact with the prime minister’s work rate, but let me rise to the bait and return the serve, because I think the Labour leader is Beach Ken.
“Beach Ken stands for nothing on shifting sands, in his flip-flops staring out to sea, doing nothing constructive to stop small boats or grow the economy.
“When we examine his weak record on union demands, on border control, on protecting the public and stopping small boats, we discover that like Beach Ken he has zero balls.”
Starmer was asked about Mordaunt’s jibe on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News.
The presenter asked him: “I’m not going to invite you to prove anything on camera, but would you like to correct the anatomical record?”
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The Labour leader replied said: “I just think when a government has completely run out of energy, ideas and the ability to shape or change anything, they go down this rabbit hole of ridiculous insults.
“It’s water off a duck’s back to me. I’m clearly setting out in strong terms what I’d do on issues like border control, where in the past Labour has not wanted to speak.
“So I speak confidently about the challenges that we face. My focus, unlike Penny Mordaunt’s, is on the challenges that we face as a country.”
A cabinet minister tried to use the Gary Lineker row to attack Labour – but only ended up scoring a massive own goal.
Penny Mordaunt delivered a bizarre monologue in the House of Commons this morning in which she attempted to compare the Match of the Day host to Keir Starmer’s party.
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Lineker is at the centre of controversy after he said some of the language used by the government to promote its latest immigration crackdown was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.
The former England striker has been criticised by ministers, among others, and has faced calls for the BBC to sack him as a presenter.
In her cringey speech, Mordaunt said: “Labour are borrowing from the Gary Lineker playbook.
“They are a party of goal-hangers and the occasional left-wing striker. Hanging around the goalmouth, poised to seize any opportunities and take an easy shot.
″But that only works if the ball is in the right half. This country doesn’t need goal-hangers, it needs centre forwards.
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“It needs people who put in the hard work, take tough decisions, grip a problem and work out how to solve it and create those opportunities – and that is what we are doing.”
They’ve borrowed from Lineker’s playbook. Labour are a party of goalhangers and left-wing strikers. That doesn’t work in politics. The country needs centre forwards, people who are prepared to put the hard work in and create opportunities. And it needs a team captain with a plan. pic.twitter.com/hDNSLvNl4t
Twitter users were quick to point out that comparing Labour to a record-breaking England goalscorer who also starred for Leicester, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona in a glittering career may not be a wise move for the Tories.
Twitter users were baffled
One pointed out the obvious flaw for the Tories in comparing Labour to someone who was very good at their job.
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Twitter users were baffled
Another recalled that it is not the first time the Conservatives have gone to war with a popular England striker.
The Tories do have form for criticising footballers
Meanwwhile, another Twitter user chose the perfect football video to capture Mordaunt’s embarrassment.
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A Labour source told HuffPost UK: “The Tories are more like Sven Goran Eriksson: a long, grim period in charge that leaves everyone worse off and takes years to fix.”
Boris Johnson has ruled himself out of running for the Tory leadership, despite claiming he had the support required to do so.
The former prime minister said he had “much to offer” but that now was “simply not the right time”.
Johnson said he was “well placed” to deliver a Tory win at the next general election but suggested it would be hard to govern a disunited party.
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“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament,” he said.
He also confirmed that he had appealed to the other two candidates – Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt – but they had not been able to work out a deal.
Johnson pulled out just a few hours after his campaign team told supporters they had secured the 100 nominations needed from MPs to get on the ballot paper.
A number of cabinet ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadhim Zahawi, had backed their former boss.
One reason why the former PM may have decided not to run is that he is facing an inquiry into whether he lied to the Commons over the partygate scandal.
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If found guilty by the Commons Privileges Committee, he could face recall proceedings that would leave him battling for his seat in the Commons if he receives a suspension of 10 days or more.
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
DANIEL LEAL via Getty Images
It now looks increasingly likely that former chancellor Sunak is heading for No.10 and will be Britain’s next prime minister.
In a statement, Johnson said: “In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament.
“I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago – and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now.
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“A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country.
“I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.
“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday.
Penny Mordaunt.
ISABEL INFANTES via Getty Images
“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.
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“And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny – because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest – we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this.
“Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”
A source close to Rishi Sunak said: “We are not taking anything for granted. Rishi will be continuing to talk to colleagues tomorrow morning before nomination papers go in, and discussing how best to unite the party and take the country forward.”
A Mordaunt campaign source said: “Penny is still running to be the leader of the Conservative Party.
“Penny is the unifying candidate who is most likely to keep the wings of the Conservative Party together and polling shows that she is the most likely candidate to hold onto the seats the Conservative Party gained in 2019.
“Ed Balls, shadow cabinet ministers and Labour advisers have all said Penny is the candidate Keir Starmer fears the most.”
Liz Truss made a fleeting, impassive appearance in the House of Commons as her premiership appeared to crumble around her.
The prime minister had snubbed Labour’s urgent parliamentary question on Truss’s decision to to appoint Jeremy Hunt as the new chancellor – and sent Penny Mordaunt, the Commons speaker, to deputise.
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But the move raised more questions about the grip Truss has of her party.
Mordaunt’s initial explanation that the PM was “detained on urgent business” prompted howls of laughter from the Opposition benches, and failed to reassure MPs.
Stella Creasy, a Labour MP, suggested that based on what they had been told, the prime minister is “cowering under her desk and asking for it all to go away”.
Mordaunt added to the confusion by repeatedly suggesting there was “a very good reason” for the prime minister’s no-show – which even led one MP to ask if she was “on the way to the Palace” to tell the King her government is over.
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This is the moment Liz Truss arrives in parliament after she missed an urgent question from Labour about the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng.
She turned up moments before chancellor Jeremy Hunt faced MPs after U-turning on almost all of the tax cuts the PM made in the mini-budget. pic.twitter.com/e5ZE4NOTUy
But then Truss finally arrived while Mordaunt was still speaking.
She was there, it turned out, to sit alongside her new chancellor as Hunt was due to spell out the “eye-wateringly difficult” decisions that were needed as he tore up her economic strategy.
But things got even stranger from there. Truss did not contribute to the debate, and many on social media pointed out she appeared only to be staring into the middle distance and blinking frequently.
Liz Truss on the front bench, sat stock still with her hands clasped in her lap, blinking frequently. She’s usually one to shout back at whoever is speaking for Labour but not today.
Liz Truss looks utterly broken as chancellor Jeremy Hunt, standing less than two feet away, sets fire to the entire economic strategy on which she was elected prime minister six weeks ago.
She sat next to Hunt for around 30 minutes as he ditched huge chunks of “Trussonomics”.
But as soon as Hunt finished his Commons address and took questions from MPs, Truss departed to accusations of “running off to something else”.
So where was she?
One report suggested Truss had been meeting Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, who could hold the key to her future if Conservatives revolt en masse.
Liz Truss leaves the Chamber. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.
The head of the civil service has launched an inquiry into leaks allegedly designed to damage Penny Mordaunt’s leadership campaign.
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, launched the probe after papers drawn up by civil servants made their way into a Sunday Times story.
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The paper claimed the documents suggest she backed watering down the legal process for transitioning when she was equalities minister.
Her team fiercely rebutted the story, saying the contest was being distracted by side issues. Mordaunt’s campaign has been the subject of a number of briefings that she has described as “toxic”.
Case has promised the investigation will be completed “as quickly as possible” given the “importance” of the subject.
David Davis, who is supporting Mordaunt’s run to be prime minister, wrote to the government equalities office demanding to know how the policy paper was released.
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In a letter to Tory MP Davis, Case said: “Thank you for your letter of 17 July, raising your concerns about the apparent leaking of information designed to influence the Conservative leadership election.
“I have been very clear in writing with the civil service that it is paramount that public resources are not used to support leadership campaigns during the Conservative Party leadership election.
“Further to that, unauthorised disclosure of government information to the media is clearly inappropriate.
“In light of these facts and the concerns you raise, I can confirm that I have launched a leak investigation into this matter.
“The investigation will be completed as quickly as possible given the importance of the subject.”
Mordaunt herself has accused her Conservative leadership rivals of mounting a smear campaign against her and condemned “toxic” briefings from rival camps.
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In response to the original story, Baroness Williams of Trafford, the equalities minister from 2018 to 2020, refuted the allegations, saying: “I feel compelled to issue a statement to challenge the factually incorrect representations put forward by leadership candidates in relation to Penny Mordaunt MP’s position and tenure at the equalities office.
“The events relayed at the hustings and repeated again to the media today in relation to the self-ID debate are completely incorrect.
“As minister for equalities in the department under both Penny Mordaunt and Amber Rudd I saw first hand that the position stated was absolutely not Penny Mordaunt’s and completely refute the allegations made by other candidates about the self ID debate.
“Having sat in the equalities office for many years, I am shocked to see such incorrect reporting and briefings by our colleagues and would question the motives of those seeking to do so.”
Tory MPs voted on the PM’s successor on Wednesday afternoon, with the result announced by Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, at 4pm.
The final two candidates will then be put to party members to make the final decision, with the winner announced on September 5.
Kemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the race to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader and prime minister.
The former frontbencher received the fewest votes of the four remaining candidates in the contest.
Rishi Sunak once again came out on top, with Penny Mordaunt retaining second place and Liz Truss staying in third spot.
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Badenoch won the backing of 59 MPs, up just one from the last round.
Truss got 86, up 15 on the third ballot, Mordaunt was up 10 votes to 92, with Sunak up three to 118.
The fifth and final ballot of MPs will take place tomorrow.
The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will go into the final run-off, with the winner being decided by the 200,000 Tory members and announced on September 5.
A spokesperson for Sunak’s campaign said: “Rishi has continued to progress today because he is the candidate with the clearest plan to restore trust, rebuild the economy, reunite the country and because he is best placed to beat Labour at the next election.
“Every poll shows only Rishi can beat Starmer, and is the candidate the public think would make the best PM.
“MPs are also recognizing that Rishi has the best experience and plans to deal with the current economic situation.
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“Rishi will rebuild our economy by gripping inflation, so we can get our economy growing and unleash the full opportunities of post-Brexit Britain.”
Mordaunt said: “This afternoon colleagues once again put their trust in me and I cannot thank them enough. We are so nearly across the finish line. I am raring to go and excited to put my case to members across the country and win.
“I want to pay tribute to my friend Kemi Badenoch who electrified the leadership contest with her fresh thinking and bold policies.
“She and I both know that the old way of government isn’t working as it should. Voters want change and we owe it to them to offer a bold new vision for this country. Kemi’s passion for this showed and I’m glad she put herself forward to be heard.”
Penny Mordaunt has become the latest candidate to enter the Tory leadership race.
The former defence secretary’s announcement brings the number vying to replace Boris Johnson to ten.
Launching her campaign with a video on Twitter, the Portsmouth North MP, who is also a member of the Royal Navy Rwserve, said: “Our leadership has to change. It needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship.
“I’m Penny Mordaunt and I’m ready to serve as the next leader of the Conservative Party.”
However, there was controversy as a clip from the video appeared to show Oscar Pistorious, who is currently in a South African prison for murdering his girlfriend.
Mordaunt, who is currently a trade minister, received the endorsement of George Freeman, who resigned as science minister last week in protest at Boris Johnson’s leadership.
Tom Tugendhat, who was the first candidate to announce he was running following Boris Johnson’s resignation, said today that he offered a “new start” for the party.
