Highlighting the fact that he “secretly held a ‘green card’” to work in the US 18 months into his tenure as UK chancellor, it casts doubt on his claim that “his resignation within minutes of Savid Javid was a unplanned coincidence’, noting that he ‘launched his campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party with a website domain registered in December 2021’. Pointing out that Mr Sunak “remains in negative territory in the polls with no realistic prospect of regaining the confidence of 4 in 10 Conservative voters who are repulsed by the Johnson government”, he appeared to tar him with Mr Johnson’s brush, adding: “Like Boris , (he) fined ‘Partygate’ by police for breaching lockdown rules.”
Tax becomes a dividing line
Starring including Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary. Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor; Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary. and Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, all plan to promise to cut taxes as they try to exploit the dividing lines between them and Mr Sunak.
Ms Truss, who will launch her campaign on Tuesday, is expected to stand on the ticket to overturn Mr Sunak’s controversial National Insurance tax hike, known as the health and social care levy.
On Sunday, former defense secretary Penny Mordaunt announced her candidacy after her successor, poll-favourite Ben Wallace, dropped out of the race on Saturday.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, is believed to be expected to side with the Brexiteers but faces competition for support from Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch, who are both gaining popularity on the right of the party.
Ms Braverman, the Attorney General, has already secured the grilling of prominent Leaver Steve Baker, while Ms Badenoch plans to deliver a campaign speech in the House of Lords on Monday in front of more than 200 free speech supporters, including Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies – who both oppose trans women in women’s sport.
Some believe the number of pro-Brexit, fiscally conservative candidates could split the vote to the right, allowing Mr Sunak to gain momentum.
Lord Hague of Richmond, the Tory leader from 1997 to 2001, was among senior figures to call for restraint yesterday, saying:
“The party and the country need some calm reflection and a chance for the candidates to put forward their positive plans. Conservatives should be careful not to spend their time undermining some of their leading figures.”
