Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are on ‘constant manoeuvres’ to line themselves up as future leaders of the Conservative Party, MPs have told the Daily Mail.
The Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, both long been tipped as potential successors to Boris Johnson, are said to have been ‘sounding out’ colleagues.
Allies of Miss Truss, including her parliamentary private secretary Bim Afolami, have allegedly been ‘working it quite hard’ to see if she has a chance.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss (pictured) are on ‘constant manoeuvres’ to line themselves up as future leaders of the Conservative Party, MPs have told the Daily Mail
Mr Sunak, meanwhile, has been ‘unashamedly’ building support by asking his aides to arrange meetings with MPs to hear their concerns and ideas.
One senior Tory said: ‘It was absolutely clear it was nothing to do with MPs’ views because there was no follow-up letter. It was just a token gesture, just trying to be accessible and laying the ground for when the leadership race happens.’
Another said: ‘Liz and Rishi are on constant manoeuvres, but without actually explicitly saying it.’
A source close to the Foreign Secretary denied the claims, saying: ‘We’re not sounding out anyone. Liz is 100 per cent focused on getting on with the job of being Foreign Secretary.’
Mr Afolami also strongly denied the claim that he had been sounding out fellow colleagues, insisting that only he had spoken to MPs regarding parliamentary questions. ’
Some MPs questioned whether Mr Sunak and Miss Truss would be right for the jobs, with Miss Truss accused of being ‘lightweight’ and ‘ineffectual’.
One said: ‘The people who are currently going for it are the people who took the easy path when the hard part was available to them. And since the path ahead is also very hard, it is not clear to me why they are fit to take it.’
A source close to the Foreign Secretary denied the claims, saying: ‘We’re not sounding out anyone. Liz is 100 per cent focused on getting on with the job of being Foreign Secretary”
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 won praise for his economic control during the pandemic.
Miss Truss was voted top in a poll of Conservative members about net satisfaction with Cabinet ministers earlier this month. 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.
But both ministers could be waiting a while for the next leadership election as the Prime Minister reportedly intends to outlast Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year tenure in No 10.