worms Brexit Minister Lord Frost has left his support behind Liz Truss as he insisted Kemi Badenoch to withdraw from the Tory leadership contest so that there can be “unity among free marketers”.
“Kemi and Suella Braverman put on convincing programs, with different accents, for change,” the 57-year-old wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
“But Liz’s deep experience, her energy and ideas – as well as the simple fact that she has the most voices of the three – allowed her to take the lead.
She has no intention of stepping down and is competing to win
“Now is the time for pragmatism. I urge Kemi to step down in exchange for a serious job in a Truss administration.”
Ms. Badenoch faced pressure early Friday to pull out and back Ms. Truss over Rishi Sunak or . to keep Penny Mordaunt from no. 10.
However, Mrs Badenoch’s campaign said she is “in it to win”.
Her spokesperson said: “Kemi has brought interesting ideas and a new approach to this leadership competition. She is looking forward to the debates this weekend.
“She has no intention of stepping down and intends to win.”
Lord Frost, a former diplomat who is denied a vote as a Tory colleague, also stepped up his attacks on Ms Mordaunt for being “absent on parade” when he worked with her on post-Brexit negotiations last year.
Ms Truss gained support from the Tory right after Attorney General Suella Braverman was eliminated in an increasingly bitter leadership race in which Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt cemented their positions as frontrunners.
Mr Sunak, the former chancellor, came out on top in Thursday’s vote, with Ms Mordaunt in second place, who suffered from rival camp attacks as she gained the most momentum.
Ms Braverman fared worst in the second round, being eliminated to leave five contenders – the four named candidates plus backbencher Tom Tugendhat – who will participate in the first televised debate Friday night.
She came out in support of Ms Truss, describing the Foreign Secretary as the “best person to unleash the chances of Brexit” and push through tax cuts as the party’s right tries to unite around a single candidate.