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LAST UPDATE | 21 Oct 2022
A RAPID LEADERSHIP campaign is due to get underway after Liz Truss stepped down as prime minister just over six weeks after taking up the role.
Truss is the shortest serving prime minister in British history and now attention is quickly turning to who her replacement will be.
While the last campaign took place over 55 days, longer than Liz Truss’s premiership, Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, expects this campaign to wrap up next Friday.
Nominations for replacing Liz Truss will have to be submitted by Monday, Brady said.
Speaking outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday, Brady added that candidates to replace Truss will need at least 100 nominations from Conservative MPs.
Supporters of Boris Johnson seem confident that the former prime minister could reach this threshold.
He left No 10 in September after he was forced out by his own MPs after one scandal too many, but allies are urging him to run again for a second shot at the Tory crown.
Diehard loyalist Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, said she had spoken to him following Truss’s resignation and hinted strongly that he was preparing to run.
“He is a known winner and that is certainly who I’m putting my name against because I want us to win the general election. Having a winner in place is what the party needs to survive,” she told Sky News.
There was no immediate word from Johnson – who was thought to be holidaying with his family in the Caribbean – on his intentions.
However, former press secretary to Boris Johnson, Will Walden, told Sky News that Johnson “is flying back and is clearly taking soundings”.
Walden said Johnson will feel that he has “done nothing wrong” and will run if he thinks he can win.
"He's flying back".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 21, 2022
Former press secretary to Boris Johnson, Will Walden, confirms Mr Johnson is on his way back from his travels amid rumours he could launch a comeback to Number 10.
Politics latest | https://t.co/PAiZ4D1RJB
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/dtZLZEWYKj
Walden also noted Rishi Sunak as an early front runner.
The former chancellor was a runner up to Truss in last month’s leadership election.
He was one of the Cabinet ministers who resigned during the effort to oust Johnson.
While he was favoured among MPs to become the next Tory leader, he was left as the underdog in the party membership vote.
He received 60,399 votes compared to Truss’s 81,326 amongst the party membership.
Tory MP Crispin Blunt has been quick to back Sunak while denouncing Johnson.
He told Sky News: “Boris Johnson has the most astonishing set of skills but there are one or two weaknesses kicking around in that personality and they were fairly brutally exposed.
“He is probably not the character to restore our reputation for the next two years because of that controversy.”
Blunt said a Johnson comeback would mean the party would be “probably straight back in the pickle we were in when he left office”.
He described Sunak as “head and shoulders rank above the rest of us in terms of his basic personal capabilities of being prime minister”, and added that Sunak is his choice.
Several other Tory MPs have also rowed in behind Sunak.
Ministers Robert Jenrick and Claire Coutinho, as well as backbenchers Guy Opperman, Siobhan Baillie, Angela Richardson and Robin Walker have all said they believe the former chancellor is the right man for the job.
Jenrick said Sunak would “restore public confidence in our party”, while Opperman described him as a “serious person for serious times”.
Another potential candidate is Penny Mordaunt.
Currently Leader of the House of Commons, she also ran in the last leadership election and came third in the final round of MP voting with 105 votes.
While not currently working on a leadership bid, an ally told PA that she is “taking soundings” from colleagues on the prospect of standing to replace Liz Truss.
A source close to the former contender for the top job said: “It’s a testament to Penny’s campaign over the summer how many colleagues have already come out asking her to stand.
“At the moment there isn’t a campaign but Penny has always been the candidate that can unite the party, deliver and beat Labour.
“She’s been taking soundings from her colleagues and has been busy speaking to as many as she can.”
Scottish Tory MP John Lamont threw his support behind Mordaunt today, arguing she would bring together the “strongest” Government.
I’m backing @PennyMordaunt to stand because she would bring together the strongest government with the best and brightest talents from across the Conservative party👇#PM4PM pic.twitter.com/hh2NdPMpgf
— John Lamont MP 🇬🇧🏴 (@John2Win) October 21, 2022
He tweeted: “I’m backing @PennyMordaunt to stand because she would bring together the strongest government with the best and brightest talents from across the Conservative party”.
Other names that have been floated include new British chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who tore up Truss’s mini-budget on Monday morning.
However, Sky News has reported that Hunt has ruled himself out of the contest.
Suella Braverman may also look to run for the top job again, following her damning criticism of Truss in her resignation letter yesterday evening.
She said that she was concerned about “the direction” of the British government.
The popular Defence Secretary Ben Wallace may also throw his hat into the ring.
At the very beginning of the previous leadership contest, Wallace had been the most popular candidate among the grassroot Tory members, but he quickly ruled himself out of the running.
With additional reporting from Press Association and Tadgh McNally
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It looks like No 10 is Now an Air B and B for short lets
@pat seery:
I have just imagine if Pam waking up and finding Boris in the shower. It was all a dream…
@pat seery: lol
It unbelievable that all of this is real and not a comical stetch. The terrible thing is that it’s the British economy that the punch line.
@Claire King: You do. Know the UK recorded it’s highest ever level of exports to EU countries in September 2022? £17.4 Billion the highest since records began stop swallowing all the remoaner nonsense & think what will happen when the whatsit hits the fan in the Eurozone. Italy is simmering as is France & the likes of Hungary & Poland aren’t going to sit back & take the abuse on their democracy by EU institutions forever & both countries are doing considerably better than the EU average when it comes to unemployment levels & growth.
@Joe Thorpe: Exports don’t mean much when you can’t afford to live or pay your mortgage… 10% and rising. Also wages are far from competitive for the average person.
@Joe Thorpe: yes, and those exports were primarily gas due to Russia cutting off supply.
It’s not like UK manufacturing is flourishing.
To quote the FT
“UK fuel exports accounted for £800mn of July’s £1.3bn goods export increase to the EU. UK fuel exports to the bloc more than doubled compared with July last year, while exports to non-EU countries remained unchanged.”
@Joe Thorpe:
Remoaners – ahh that hasn’t been used for a while.
The economic data is in and while UK has various challenges, Brexit is a definite negative.
You see, people in UK didn’t ask why UK joined EU… Slowly but surely UK is becoming less and less competitive.
Northern Ireland has second highest GDP growth in UK after London…
UK will see Brexit for what it is and the present Tory leadership are result of Brexit
@Joe Thorpe: The bump is due to an smoothing out of supply chain bottlenecks from 2021 and fuel exports. ESRI report states that UK exports to the EU are down 16% if Brexit never happened. Irish imports of UK products have slumped, far less of us buying from small UK businesses or Amazon.co.uk anymore due to customs fees. If you think Brexit was good for business you are deluded.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/20/trade-from-uk-to-eu-16-lower-than-if-brexit-had-not-happened-report-finds
@Joe Thorpe: Wow… You seem to be a very well informed and knowledge able guy. I bet you have a first from Oxford. Pity you’re not a MP you’d make a great Prime Minister.
@Joe Thorpe: you know their export numbers are massively inflated as all previous traffic to NI is now counted as export. 1200 full loads a day.
@Joe Thorpe: seriously Joe you cannot possibly be that deluded. Even the Telegraph has admitted that the “Remainers” were right. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/10/15/project-fear-right-along/
Surely you can change your opinion too. Tell you what if you can point to one thing that has benefited the UK as a result of Brexit over the past six years I’ll concede. Don’t give me take back control or sovereignty as that’s a myth the markets control Westminster.
@Joe Thorpe: lol…schooled
@Cowboy Ted: N Ireland potentially the new Hong Kong.
Him and Trump back again
He might have his supporter’s within the party but he’s to divisive and certainly would not unify the party behind him.
Surely there are only a few credible runners – Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt? This of course should have been the candidates in the final round, before some group decided to back Truss! What character do those people have?
Brining in Johnson would be a step back, they’ve just fired him for what is going wrong inside the Tories and some want him back again? Don’t they remember the saying? “If you always do what you always did, you will always get who always got!”
@Con Cussed: Jacob Rees-Mogg throwing his lot behind Boris – both charlatans! Jacob Rees-Mogg being the worse of the two!
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Westminster to be born?”
(With apologies to WB Yeates)
@Seán Ó Tarpaigh: Can you explain how that is relevant to the current situation in the UK.
If Johnson came back it would be the icing on the cake proving that the UK is a joke of a country politically, but I can’t see that happening. Hunt would probably have been a steading PM but he’s ruled himself out. All of the others being talked about will have little appeal. They should just call a GE but they won’t.
Please be Boris
Boris is a safe pair of hands.
@Roger Bond: especially where the ladies are concerned…
@Paul Shepherd: are you not confusing him with Trump..
Better the devil you know than dont.
@Lee Casey: No its not. Unfortunately it’s that bloody attitude that has had F.F/F G screwing this country for what seems like an eternity. We have to be open to change or we will never get off the hamster wheel .
@Franny Ando: ok man.calm down ffs
Can we have a turnip for Boris?
Yea, Johnson is a winner, but only because he’s totally Self-centred and untrustworthy.
BBB – Bring Back Boris
The challenge is to continue the trend of decreasing competence, Lizz leaves a low bar to get under.
LIMBO!
MY money is on Boris
Who cares really do we really need to know what goes in the uk
@Martin Laird: Yes. What happens in the UK, the country closest to us geographically, politically and economically, is of crucial importance to Ireland.
For the economy the FT have it here: https://www.ft.com/video/91b8a350-5817-4b40-a5ea-c62ec832aa9c
@Cooking School: Interesting stuff – thanks for the link.
Madness, utter madness
Can you imagine the comic sketches if it was any other country.
have your say