Rishi Sunak - Johnson loyalists hit back at ‘treacherous’ as race begins

Rishi Sunak – The race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister was already slipping into acrimony on Saturday as Conservative factions briefed against Rishi Sunak, the early favourite, while one senior MP called for “no hope” candidates to drop out.

With predictions that up to 15 could put themselves forward as the next Conservative leader, Tory MPs expressed concern at the potential timetable for the race and the prospect of bitter infighting.

On Saturday, the newly appointed chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, launched his campaign by pledging to lower taxes for individuals, families and business, boost defence spending and continue with education reforms he started in his previous role.

Grant Shapps announced his leadership bid by telling the Sunday Times he was ruling out a general election. He said he would instruct his chancellor to cut personal tax for the most vulnerable and give state support to firms with high levels of energy consumption.

The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, is expected to launch her bid by pledging that she will advocate “classic Conservative principles”, the Mail on Sunday reported.

Sunak, the former chancellor, who entered the race on Friday evening with a slickly edited video campaign message posted on Twitter under the slogan “Ready for Rishi”, is viewed as one of the likely frontrunners.

But he has already faced criticism among fellow MPs for indicating he will focus more on fiscal prudence than immediate tax cuts, with his video taking aim at other candidates who may offer “comforting fairytales” rather than economic truths.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Johnson loyalist, said on Friday evening that he could not back Sunak, whose resignation as chancellor helped precipitate the loss of faith in the prime minister that led to him resigning as Tory leader on Thursday.

“We have had a high-tax chancellor and I belong to a low-tax party and I want to see us getting back to being a low-tax party,” Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities minister, told BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions.

Sunak was also hit by the start of what is likely to be a wave of anonymous briefings from Johnson’s Downing Street, where his role in the prime minister’s departure has caused significant anger.

One senior No 10 official was quoted in the Financial Times as calling Sunak “a treacherous bastard”, while a Johnson supporter in the cabinet told the paper: “Rishi will get everything he deserves for leading the charge in bringing down the prime minister.”

Source – https://www.theguardian.com/