‘Run now or we lose’: Liz Truss warns Tory Right

The Tory Right was under pressure to unite behind Liz Truss last night amid warnings Penny Mordaunt exploit their divisions.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs emerged as the Conservative Right’s leading candidate yesterday after getting 50 votes in the first round of the contest to pass Boris Johnson†

But she followed establishment favourite, Rishi Sunak, who won 88 votes, and Miss Mordaunt, who stunned rivals by winning 67.

A shocking poll of Tory members yesterday suggested Miss Mordaunt has a significant lead at the base that will ultimately decide the match. Bookmakers installed her as a favorite to become prime minister last night.

Her new status is likely to come under intense scrutiny and last night she was faced with the question of whether she had changed her “awakened” views on trans rights to gain support.

An ally of Miss Truss accused Miss Mordaunt of “lying” about her views. “She shows up at hustings and claims she never pushed for trans rights when she was minister of equality, when there are people in government who know that’s not true,” the ally said.

“She tells lies and when she comes in she starts typing again and splits the party.”

Mr Sunak was also faced with questions after failing to deliver the knockout blow his team expected. While the former chancellor still looked on course to make the final round, it was no longer clear he would do so with a large mandate from fellow MPs.

Miss Truss will formally launch her leadership bid this morning, promising to become the ‘candidate for change’ in the economy, including an emphasis on tax cuts and spending containment.

She will argue that her experience as Chief Secretary of the Treasury makes her the only credible candidate to take on Mr. Sunak in the field of economics.

But senior Tories warned last night that to be sure of making the final run-off, she must first beat her rivals on the mighty Tory Right.

Minister Kemi Badenoch got 40 votes, while Attorney General Suella Braverman got 32 votes.

Eurosceptic MPs tried last night to persuade Mrs Braverman to withdraw. A source said she was “humiliated” if she tried to continue. But her team insisted she fight on, with campaign manager Steve Baker saying, “We haven’t started fighting yet. People underestimate Suella at their own risk.’

Mrs. Badenoch also showed no signs of deterioration. A source on her campaign said, “She’s going to do it.”

On a dramatic first day of voting:

• Jeremy Hunt, who was a fierce critic of the Prime Minister, was dumped by just 18 votes and quickly gave Mr Sunak his support;
• Nadhim Zahawi also crashed just days after calling on Mr Johnson to quit within hours of taking a job as chancellor;
• The Prime Minister predicted that one of the candidates to succeed him would “wipe the floor” with Sir Keir Starmer;
• In today’s Mail, Miss Mordaunt writes that she will continue to support Ukraine until Vladimir Putin is expelled from Crimea;
• A poll found that only 11 percent of the public could identify her, compared with 33 percent for Miss Truss and 66 percent for Mr Sunak;
• Contestant Tom Tugendhat likened the match to a ‘knife fight in a phone booth’;
• Mr Sunak told Tory MPs he was open to cutting the TV license fee;
• Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would not serve under the “unfaithful” Mr Sunak.

Yesterday’s shocking YouGov poll of Tory members put Miss Mordaunt at 27 percent support, for Ms Badenoch at 15 percent and Mr Sunak and Miss Truss at 13 percent.

In a series of head-to-head clashes, the poll showed that Miss Mordaunt would beat Mr Sunak by a margin of 67:28 and Miss Truss by 55:37.

Earlier polls suggested stronger support for both Mr Sunak and Ms Truss.

In yesterday’s vote, six candidates remained in the running, with former army officer Mr Tugendhat also making the cut with 37 votes as the standard-bearer of moderates.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who supports Miss Truss, last night urged fellow Brexiters to unite behind her, warning that divisions could allow Miss Mordaunt to slip through.

Sir Iain called for a ‘unite the Right’ candidate, saying: ‘If common sense played a part in these things, it would be over in 24 hours. But of course not.’

Tory MPs will vote again today to reduce the number to five, with another vote scheduled for Monday.