Foreign Secretary Liz Truss looked ready for battle as she landed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth warship this weekend – as it was claimed she and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were on ‘constant manoeuvres’ to become PM.
The minister was dressed in Navy gear and was photographed onboard the aircraft carrier during its continued deployment.
She and and the Foreign Secretary, both long been tipped as potential successors to Boris Johnson, are said to have been ‘sounding out’ colleagues.
Miss Truss’s allies, including her private secretary Bim, have allegedly been working it quite hard’ in order to see if they have a chance.
Rishi Sunak (pictured) and Liz Truss are ‘constantly manoeuvres’ to position themselves as future leaders of Conservative Party, MPs told the Daily Mail. She is seen on a tour of HMS Queen Elizabeth
The aircraft carrier, part of the Carrier Strike Group 2021 is currently on deployment in the Indo-Pacific region
Miss Truss was seen wearing a headset in one of the fighter jets. Clearing enjoying the opportunity to try out some military hardware
In the meantime, Mr Sunak has been ‘unashamedly” building support by asking his aides and arranging meetings with MPs in order to hear their concerns.
A senior Tory stated that it was clear that the letter was not related to MPs’ views. It was a token gesture to make it more accessible and prepare for the next leadership race.
Another stated that Rishi and Liz are always doing manoeuvres but not saying it explicitly.
Miss Truss walks across the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth (one of the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers).
She can be seen talking with the ship’s crew. It is currently stationed near Mumbai, India.
The Carrier Strike Group 21 is a British-led deployment to help ensure ‘regional stability’ in the Indo-Pacific region
Mr Sunak, on the other hand, has been ‘unashamedly” building support by asking his aides and MPs to arrange meetings to hear their concerns.
Sources close to the Foreign Secretary refute the claims and say: “We’re not sounding out anybody.” Liz is 100% focused on the job of Foreign Secretary.
Mr Afolami strongly denied that he was sounding out his colleagues, insisting that he only spoke to MPs about parliamentary issues.
Some MPs questioned Mr Sunak’s suitability for the job, while Miss Truss was accused as being ‘lightweight’ or ‘ineffectual.
One person said, “The people who are currently going after it are the ones who chose the easy route when the hard part was possible.” The path ahead is also very difficult, so it is not clear to my mind why they are ready to take it.
Miss Truss, a rising star within the party, is currently in India on a official visit and openly desires to be the first woman chancellor. Brandishing her low-tax credentials, she recently told friends she briefly considered resigning over the national insurance tax rise to pay for social care – believing the Chancellor should have borrowed the money instead.
Mr Sunak was praised for his control over the economy during the worst of the pandemic.
Miss Truss was the top Conservative member in a poll earlier this month about their net satisfaction with Cabinet Ministers. She led by a gap of 15 points at the top. Mr Sunak, who was second in September’s table, dropped to fifth this month.
Both ministers may be waiting for the next leadership elections, as the Prime Minister reportedly plans to outlast Margaret Thatcher’s 11 year tenure at No 10.