MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENTS: Trust in Truss – to avoid a cross-dressing
As Tory MPs are preparing to vote in the third round of the leadership contest tomorrow, a tremendous burden resting on their shoulders.
Not only are they installing a new head of their party, but also a new prime minister.
That person has just over two years to turn conservative fortunes around and prevent a Labour-led coalition of chaos from coming to power. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
It should have become clear to those MPs that there are only two credible candidates.
Penny Mordaunt was a favourite, but has seen her image tarnished by the day as her record and stances come under scrutiny.
In several cabinet positions, she has opposed the EU over Northern Ireland and Putin over Ukraine. She has negotiated tricky post-Brexit trade deals in record time
Two of her former bosses – including Brexit fighter Lord Frost – expressed serious doubts about her ability last week.
And she’s now been challenged as to whether she controversially supported transgender self-identification.
If this Election is about restoring trust and stability, it is emphatically not the solution.
Tom Tugendhat is clearly a decent man, but he doesn’t even have ministerial experience. To choose him would be an act of recklessness.
And while Kemi Badenoch is undoubtedly a star of the future, she’s not ready for the top job yet. But there is no doubt that her drive and intelligence will strengthen the next cabinet.
That leaves two candidates who have shown they are qualified for a senior position.
The first is Rishi Sunak. He led the economy through the worst pandemic in a century with skill and determination and was the right man for that crisis.
His propensity to tax since then has led to much rumination among Tory voters, most notably the National Insurance (NI) increase, which this paper was passionately opposed to.
Freezing personal deductions and plans for a hefty corporate tax hike have led some to question whether his instincts are truly conservative. Many will also find it impossible to forgive his betrayal of Boris.
That leaves two candidates who have shown they are qualified for a senior position. The first is Rishi Sunak. He led the economy through the worst pandemic in a century with skill and determination and was the right man for that crisis
In contrast, Liz Truss, the other standout candidate, was loyal to Boris to the very end. She is firmly on the side of the centre-right of the party and has imaginative plans to ease the cost of living for families with targeted tax cuts and by scrapping the NI hike.
Mrs. Truss lacks Mr. Sunak’s shiny style, as we saw in her rather stiff appearance in the opening debate. But there’s no doubting her genuine Toryism—or her determination.
In several cabinet positions, she has opposed the EU over Northern Ireland and Putin over Ukraine. She has negotiated tricky post-Brexit trade deals in record time.
Trust is not given lightly to politicians. But through her actions, Mrs. Truss has earned it.
However, it is by no means certain that she will make it to the final, in which the Tories choose at the base between the two contenders that are ultimately selected by the MPs.
Mr Sunak is almost a shoo-in, but with the traditional Tory voice split between Mrs. Badenoch and Mrs. Truss, Penny Mordaunt could cruise through it. That would be a mockery.
In today’s paper, recently eliminated candidate Suella Braverman, who now backs Ms. Truss, calls on Ms. Badenoch to follow suit. If Mrs. Badenoch gets behind Mrs. Truss, she could be rewarded with an important cabinet post.
Above all, MPs have a duty to ensure that this match does not look like a Westminster stabbing. To achieve that, they must ensure that at least one traditional Tory is pushed through to the final shortlist.
Rishi’s touch of Partygate hypocrisy
One of the themes of Friday night’s Channel 4 debate was that Boris must have known about all the Downing Street parties. And no one was more devout in their disapproval than Rishi Sunak.
But didn’t the ex-chancellor work in the same building? One photo of a meeting even turned out to be taken from No. 11.
By his own logic, Mr. Sunak must certainly have been aware.
So isn’t there an obvious whiff of hypocrisy about this sanctimonious condemnation of his old boss?