The dogs of war will now be unleashed by Right-wingers against Rishi Sunak who came out top in the fifth and final round of voting in the Tory leadership contest on Wednesday with 137 votes. A total of 357 Tory MPs voted with two spoilt papers.
The battle to be Boris Johnson’s successor as the next Prime Minister will be between Sunak, the former chancellor, and the foreign secretary Liz Truss who came second with 113 votes, overtaking the trade secretary Penny Mordaunt who came third with 105.
Sunak tweeted: “Grateful that my colleagues have put their trust in me today. I will work night and day to deliver our message around the country.” It is premature at this stage to predict Sunak has the keys to 10 Downing Street, but whatever happens, he has made history as the first Indian-origin MP to be a serious challenger for the top job in British politics.
In a statement, Sunak’s team said: “This is a really strong result with a clear mandate from MPs. He will now work night and day to get the mandate from the wider Conservative Party family to beat Labour, protect the Union and seize the opportunities of Brexit.
“The choice for members is very simple: Who is the best person to beat Labour at the next election? The evidence shows that’s Rishi.” What will follow in the next five weeks will be a dirty campaign aimed at ensuring that Sunak does not win.
Truss, who has been attacking Sunak’s record as chancellor, was quick to tweet: “I am excited to now take to the country to make the case to the Conservative Party about my bold new economic plan that will cut taxes, grow our economy and unleash the potential of everyone in our United Kingdom.
“As Prime Minister, I would hit the ground running from day one, unite the party and govern in line with Conservative values. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of the Conservative and Unionist Party and am excited to spend the next few weeks proving to all of our brilliant members exactly why I am the right person to lead it, and our great nation.”
Mordaunt, who was subjected to some vicious attacks by the Daily Mail, expressed her disappointment but she congratulated Sunak and Truss:
“I pay tribute to anyone who puts themselves forward for such a demanding role. “Politics isn’t easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place. We must all now work together to unify our party and focus on the job that needs to be done.”
She added: “I am One Nation, proud Brexiteer. My campaign put forward a positive vision for the country I love so much, remembering who we are here to serve. “Our mission is not only to deliver on what we promised but to win the fight against Labour at the next general election. I hope to play my part in both.”
The Daily Telegraph is also backing Truss. Between the fourth and fifth round, Sunak picked up19 extra votes, Truss 27 and Mordaunt 13. Among MPs, Liam Fox, a Sunak supporter, said: “This is an emphatic win by Rishi. We know the candidates best and he is by far the best qualified.”
Another MP, Charles Walker, who had backed Mordaunt, said he would now vote for Sunak as a member of the Conservative party. There have been polls among Tory members which show that Sunak would lose to both Truss and Mordaunt but the samples have been small. Sunak is clearly the choice of the Conservative parliamentary party. But everything will now be thrown against him by his enemies, including some rabid media commentators, to bring him down.
