Mr Hunt is seen as an easier opponent to beat in the final head-to-head vote than the International Development Secretary, pictured arriving at today’s Cabinet meeting in Downing Street
Boris Johnson was said today to be plotting to ‘lend’ votes to rival candidates in the Tory leadership race to ensure he faces the weakest candidate in the final two.
With the former foreign secretary a shoe-in for one of the places he is reported to be asking backers to vote for his successor Jeremy Hunt in tonight’s second secret ballot in a bid to see off Rory Stewart.
Mr Hunt is seen as an easier opponent to beat in the final head-to-head vote than the International Development Secretary or Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
This morning Cumbria MP Mr Stewart ‘liked’ a tweet from ITV’s Robert Peston which branded the rumoured move by Team Boris as ‘juvenile and pathetic’ and ‘no way to choose a prime minister’.
One source on a rival campaign said: ‘Tactical voting is totally sensible. He wants Rory and Saj off the ballot.’
But Mr Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are targeting Mr Stewart as the other half of a pincer movement looking to encircle the surprise second favorite.
Mr Gove pleaded lead with Tory MPs not to vote for Mr Stewart to get into the final two, saying ‘it would be a mistake to put forward two candidates to the final round who will polarise our party,’ in an article for the Times.
And Mr Javid used a radio interview to warn that the leadership run-off does not ‘look like a debate at the Oxford Union’ – a jab at Mr Johnson and Mr Stewart’s privileged backgrounds.
It came as Brexiteer former Tory leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom became the latest high-profile figure to back Mr Johnson today.
Michael Gove and Boris Johnson backer Matt Hancock share a joke in Downing Street this morning
Sajid Javid, who has attacked his rivals’ privileged backgrounds, gave a thumbs up as he arrived for the Cabinet meeting today
Jeremy Hunt, pictured today, is reported to be receiving votes from Boris backers in a bid to get him through to the final two in the Tory leadership race – because he is seen as easier to beat
Mr Johnson leaving his London home today as he picked up the support of his former Cabinet colleague Mrs Leadsom
Without naming the International Development Secretary, Mr Gove told the Times: ‘It is vital that the Conservative Party puts forward the right person who can stop (Jeremy) Corbyn.
Andrea Leadsom backs Boris as Tory rivals vie for second place
Brexiteer former Tory leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom became the latest high-profile figure to back Boris Johnson today as his former rivals swing in behind the likely winner.
All eyes had been on the former Commons leader and 2016 leadership runner-up after she was knocked out in the first round of voting last week with just 11 backers.
And she said she was supporting the runaway favourite to replace Theresa May in an interview on LBC radio this morning.
She told LBC: ‘I think he will be a very good leader for our country.’
‘The new leader must have a plan to deliver Brexit; and crucially, the debating ability to win the arguments in parliament and beyond.
At this stage of the leadership contest, it is also vital for Conservative MPs, who are narrowing the field of contenders to two people, to give the party’s membership a true choice.
‘As well as having the ability to take on Corbyn, the final two should be candidates who believe in Brexit, who can deliver it and who can unite the party.’
But Mr Stewart appears to be holding onto his support among Tory members. A new poll from Conservative Home today showed he has pulled away in second place in the last week.
But he remains miles behind Mr Johnson, who looks almost certain to win the member vote.
Mr Javid said he is ‘less Homer’s Iliad and more Homer Simpson’ today as he lashed out at his privileged rivals in the race to become the next prime minister.
Mrs Leadsom joins other former leadership contenders, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and former Pensions Minister Esther McVey, in endorsing Mr Johnson
The Home Secretary warned that the Tory leadership race risked looking like a debate at the Oxford Union if the final candidates are all from similar backgrounds – unlike Mr Javid who was educated at a comprehensive school.
Philip Hammond is ‘prepared to resign’ over Theresa May’s spending of billions on legacy projects
Philip Hammond is said to be prepared to sensationally resign as Chancellor before Theresa May in a row over her decision to spend billions of pounds on cementing a political legacy before she quits as Prime Minister.
Senior Government sources told the Press Association agency that tensions between Treasury and Number 10 officials have reached boiling point over her spending intentions.
Mr Hammond is understood to be so against the plans that he is prepared to quit the Government in what would be an extraordinary move just weeks before the PM leaves office.
Tensions have surfaced over Mrs May’s intention to spend up to £9 billion per year over three years on education, totalling £27 billion, including plans to build new schools and pay teachers higher wages, the well-placed source said.
The Chancellor is thought to be particularly angry that the plans could tie the hands of her successor, which the source said was ‘immoral’ and ‘irresponsible’.
‘I may have been culture secretary but I don’t have the oratory of Cicero, it’s less Homer’s Iliad and more Homer Simpson,’ he told the BBC.
‘But I try my best to connect and I think it’s very important as a modern Conservative Party that we reach out to those modern audiences.
‘If we end up in a situation where the final two, three, four even are people from similar backgrounds with similar life experiences and it will look like a debate at the Oxford Union and I just don’t think that’s healthy for the Tory Party.
Mr Stewart, meanwhile, said he has ‘no problem’ being the ‘stop Boris’ candidate and would ‘love’ to go against Mr Johnson in the final two.
‘I have no problem with that and I would love to go against him in the final two in order to give members the chance to choose whether they want Boris’s Brexit or mine,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The International Development Secretary also faced questions about his back story, amid reports that he allegedly worked as a spy.
Asked if former spies could, under the law, answer honestly whether they worked for MI6, he said: ‘No, and in fact the law wouldn’t allow newspapers to reveal the identity of intelligence officers…
‘I definitely would say I served my country and if somebody asked me whether I am a spy I would say no.’
Mr Gove wrote today that ‘it would be a mistake to put forward two candidates to the final round who will polarise our party’ in a bid to overhaul Rory Stewart
Mr Gove and Mr Stewart were spotted chatting in Westminster yesterday – but Mr Gove later appealed to Tory MPs not to back him
Tory MPs will vote in the second bout of the contest to select Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday ahead of a live TV debate that will feature the front-runner and former foreign secretary, Mr Johnson.
Candidates need to gain at least 33 votes from MPs to remain in the race to reach the final run-off, which will see some 160,000 Tory members select the next prime minister.
If all candidates pass the 33-vote threshold, the one with the lowest total will be eliminated and by the end of the week, four of the six current riders will be forced out, leaving the final two to go head-to-head for votes from the Tory grassroots.
Boris pulls away in race to become the next Tory leader
The race to become Conservative leader is entering the final week of selection by MPs, with the field continuing to narrow.
Four of the six current riders will be forced out before the end of the week in a series of votes by their parliamentary colleagues, leaving the final two to go head-to-head for votes from the Tory grassroots.
So what is the current state of play – who has the most backers, who is the smart money on and who could prove to be a dark horse?
Boris Johnson
The first round of voting saw Mr Johnson sprinting far ahead of all his rivals, with 114 backers.
He remains the overwhelming favourite despite criticism of his media avoidance strategy, including refusing to debate in Sunday’s hustings on Channel 4 and another with Westminster lobby journalists on Monday.
The former foreign secretary has seven Cabinet colleagues supporting him so far, including Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
Former leadership candidate Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, pulled out on Friday and has decided to back Mr Johnson, in a blow to his competitor Michael Gove.
Jeremy Hunt
The Foreign Secretary secured 43 votes in the first round and is set to do well this week.
A solid performance in his current job sets him apart from Mr Johnson, who has faced criticism over his role in the continuing imprisonment of British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, but Mr Hunt has come under fire for his stance on abortion.
Cabinet backers include Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Business Secretary Greg Clark.
Michael Gove
The Environment Secretary won 37 votes in the first round.
He managed to weather a hypocrisy storm last weekend over his admission he took cocaine, despite writing about how he disagreed with ‘London’s liberal consensus’ on loosening drugs laws.
Mr Gove has won support from four Cabinet colleagues – Education Secretary Damian Hinds, Scottish Secretary David Mundell, energy minister Claire Perry and Commons Leader Mel Stride.
Dominic Raab
The former Brexit secretary missed a podium position in the first round of voting, gaining 27 votes.
Controversial comments about being willing to prorogue Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit became a lightning rod for criticism by fellow candidates at the Channel 4 hustings on Sunday.
Mr Raab has no Cabinet backers yet, with much of his support, including from hard Brexiteers who had previously expressed support for him, apparently leaching away to Mr Johnson.
Sajid Javid
The Home Secretary won 23 votes from MPs in the first round.
Some insiders believe he could make an unexpected late surge due to his everyman credentials, as the only candidate not to have attended public school or an Oxbridge university and the son of a bus driver.
His backers include immigration minister Caroline Nokes, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright and universities minister Chris Skidmore.
Rory Stewart
The International Development Secretary squeaked through the initial rounds with 19 MPs backing him.
He has not shied away from confrontation, denouncing Mr Raab’s desire to prorogue Parliament, and has won plaudits for a campaign where he has been speaking to the public in various parts of London.
The newest member of Cabinet, Mr Stewart is backed by Justice Secretary David Gauke, and received a major boost on Monday when Cabinet Office Minister and de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington announced his support.
‘I won’t do a deal with Boris’, says Farage as poll shows almost HALF of Tory members would be ‘happy’ if the Brexit Party founder joined their party and became LEADER
Nigel Farage has ruled out an electoral pact with Boris Johnson or any other Tory leader as he hit out at attempts to ‘buy me off’.
The Brexit Party leader said he had been approached by Conservative officials about working together to avoid splitting the Brexiteer vote.
It came as a new poll showed that almost half of Conservative members would be happy for Mr Farage to lead their own party.
Some 46 per cent of members surveyed by YouGov for the Times said that they would be happy if the former Ukip leader joined the party and landed the top job.
The shock numbers show just how divisive Brexit has become in politics, with the Tories languishing in fourth place in the polls.
The Brexit Party is currently in first place ahead of the Liberal Democrats, with Labour third.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Mr Farage said: ‘I’ve been approached by a couple of people. But why would I trust anybody in the Conservative Party?
‘If they really want to leave on October 31, they need to get on with it. All I can see at the moment is a rerun of March 29.
‘I can understand why they want to buy me off but the lack of trust means it’s not up for grabs.’
Mr Johnson has already played down the chances of an electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s party, which is ahead in the polls
Mr Farage said: ‘I can understand why they want to buy me off but the lack of trust means it’s not up for grabs’
The YouGov poll also revealed that 40 per cent of Tory voters would be ‘unhappy’ if Farage joined and became leader.
Allies of Mr Johnson had already ruled out a pact, saying yesterday he did not ‘need’ to do a deal with Mr Farage, despite the rising threat from his new party.
The arrangement could mean the Brexit Party does not field candidates against Tories they see as committed to making a clean break from the EU.
Brexit minister James Cleverly said if Mr Johnson became PM he would not need to do a deal with Mr Farage.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I can’t see that is something he would want to do and it is not anything he would need to do.
‘He is able to win elections with Conservatives and Conservative support. He didn’t broach electoral pacts in London and I can’t imagine he would need to broach electoral pacts at this point.
