Tory MPs start voting in race to become prime minister amid ‘dirty tricks’ row

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister Liz Truss were among those to secure the support of more than 20 MPs.

Others to make the cut were Penny Mordaunt, Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt, Tom Tugenhat, Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch.

Sajid Javid withdrew from the race just before Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 election leading committee, announced who will advance to the first round of voting.

Backbencher Rehman Chishti also withdrew from the announcement after Grant Shapps earlier in the day.

The candidates took part in 12-minute hustings for Tory MPs on Tuesday night. A second vote will take place on Thursday, with the candidates this time needing the support of 30 MPs to stay in the race.

In the meantime Nadine Dorries has accused Rishi Sunak‘s team of “dirty tricks” tracking he and Jeremy Hunt took the first ballot of MPs in the Tory leadership contest.

The culture secretary, who Boris Johnson loyalist and now supports foreign minister Liz Truss to be next Prime Minister, tweeted: “This is dirty tricks/a stitch up/dark arts. Choose.

“Team Rishi wants the candidate they know they can definitely beat in the final two and that is @Jeremy-Hunt.”

She responded to a tweet claiming that former education secretary Gavin Williamson, who backs the former chancellor, had staged the single-vote transfer to allow Mr Hunt to pass the hurdle.

Mr Hunt vehemently denied the allegations.

A Hunt campaign source told the Standard: “This is absolutely not true and we hope that all candidates and supporters will campaign on their own merits rather than trying to smear opponents – just as Jeremy has done throughout his political career.”

The remaining candidates have tried to line up big hitters from the government to back them.

Truss gained the support of prominent Boris Johnson loyalists, Ms Dorries, Jacob Rees-Mogg and James Cleverly, in what was seen as a concerted action to prevent Mr Sunak from entering number 10.

Many supporters of the prime minister remain outraged at Mr Sunak for the role he played in bringing him down, and his decision to step down last week has led to another string of resignations.

The Secretary of State’s campaign also received a possible boost with the announcement by Home Secretary Priti Patel, a fellow right-wing wing, that she would not stand, giving Ms Truss a clearer chance.

Other developments on another hectic day at Westminster included:

– Labor angrily accuses the government of “running scared” after refusing to allow parliamentary time for a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons against Mr Johnson and his government.

– Former Equal Opportunities Minister Ms Badenoch launched her bid, vowed not to engage in a tax cut in a “bid war” and claimed others had tried to “take your pie and eat it”.

– Mr Tugendhat, the chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, who promised to cut the fuel tax by 10 pence when he started his campaign, rejecting criticism from rivals over his lack of ministerial experience.

– Mr Zahawi, the Chancellor, brushed aside a rebuke from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey for making tax proposals during the campaign, saying he was putting out his stall to become Prime Minister and that his plans were “complete budgeted”.

In an increasingly bitter battle of words, allies of Mr Johnson have attacked Mr Sunak, branding him a “high tax chancellor” who had failed to notice the warning signs that inflation was on the rise.

Mr Sunak launched his campaign, insisting it was a matter of “when not if” he started cutting taxes, but that he wouldn’t do it until inflation was under control.

Backed by Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, he said it was “not credible to promise much more spending and lower taxes”, in a swipe at rivals who immediately proposed tax cuts of billions of pounds.

“We need a return to traditional conservative economic values ​​and that means honesty and responsibility, not fairy tales,” he said.

Zahawi criticized his predecessor’s hesitation, stressing that it is not a “fairy tale” to cut taxes to ease the cost of living crisis.

The current chancellor also used a performance for Conservative MPs to show his strong support for the family – something he said had gone out of fashion.

“Family has become a taboo word in Westminster, and this needs to change. Children thrive when they grow up in a happy and healthy home environment, and we shouldn’t be shy about acknowledging that,” he said.

Under the rules set by Sir Graham, candidates who fail to get 30 votes on the first ballot will be eliminated, and a second ballot is expected on Thursday.

The process will then likely continue until next week, with the candidate with the fewest votes dropping out, until the list of candidates is reduced to just two.

They will be in the summer recess to win the support of the Tory membership, who will eventually elect the next prime minister, with the final result on September 5.