Now Tory big beasts line up to back Boris Johnson: Ex-Prime Minister sees dramatic surge in support with six Cabinet ministers leading clamour for a comeback
- Six Cabinet ministers are backing Boris Johnson to become Tory party leader
- Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is the latest to support Johnson
- Jacob Rees-Mogg, Alox Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan also back Johnson
Support for a Boris Johnson comeback surged yesterday as six Cabinet ministers threw their weight behind the former prime minister.
Writing in today’s Daily Mail, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said Mr Johnson was the ‘standout star’ to replace Liz Truss after she resigned.
It came after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday he was also ‘leaning towards’ backing Mr Johnson.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke and Cop26 president Alok Sharma also pledged their votes for the ex-PM.
Six Cabinet ministers have announced their support for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to become the next leader of the Conservative Party, following Liz Truss’s resignation on Thursday
Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan also backed a comeback.
She tweeted last night: ‘I have worked closely with Boris Johnson for many years. He can continue to deliver for the country and already has a mandate.’
She added that it was ‘time to bring back Boris’.
Mr Johnson went on a charm offensive yesterday, phoning MPs from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, where he has been on holiday, to shore up support for a leadership bid. He accepted mistakes had been made during his previous stint in No 10 and pledged ‘a different culture’ if he wins back the keys.
He was due to fly back to London overnight before weighing up whether to throw his hat in the ring for the Tory leadership.
Mr Heaton-Harris, Mr Johnson’s former chief whip, writes in the Mail today that ‘there is no politician more able to rise up to whatever challenge he faces’.
He added: ‘I would be the first to admit that my party has been through a turbulent time recently, but if he gets the call, I know Boris will finish the job he started and deliver on the promises he made to you in 2019.
‘At a time of economic and international uncertainty, we need a leader with a track record of delivering for the British people.
‘A leader who has the mandate of not only the Conservative Party membership, but also the country.
Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan backed a Johnson comeback. She Tweeted last night: ‘I have worked closely with Boris Johnson for many years. He can continue to deliver for the country and already has a mandate’
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg Tweeted a graphic that read ‘I’m backing Boris’ alongside a ‘Boris or bust’ logo.
Cop26 president Alok Sharma is among Tory Cabinet ministers backing Boris Johnson
A leader Labour fear the most because of his ability to win.’
Mr Wallace said he was minded to support Mr Johnson because he would be the only candidate with a clear mandate from the public, having won the 2019 general election. He added: ‘This will be potentially our third prime minister since the general election of 2019.
‘That means we have to think about that legitimacy question that the public will be asking themselves, and also about who could win the next election – that’s obviously important for any political party at the time. So at the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson.’
In a joint statement with Ben Houchen, the Tory mayor of Tees Valley, Mr Clarke said: ‘Boris is the person we need to lead our country and our party.
‘He won the greatest election victory for years on a mandate to unite and level up the UK, and inspired millions of people who had never voted Conservative before to get behind a generous, optimistic vision of what Britain can be.
‘People who have felt left behind from governments of both colours want their prime minister to make a success of Brexit, control illegal immigration and invest in our communities.
‘That’s what Boris would do and it’s why he is so popular right across the Red Wall seats that will decide the next election.’
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris Mr Johnson’s former chief whip, writes in the Mail today that ‘there is no politician more able to rise up to whatever challenge he faces’
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he would be supporting Johnson because he would be the only candidate with a clear mandate from the public, having won the 2019 general election
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Simon Clarke also pledged his allegiance to the former Prime Minister
Mr Rees-Mogg reposted a graphic on Twitter saying ‘I’m backing Boris’ alongside a ‘Boris or bust’ logo.
Meanwhile, Mr Sharma tweeted: ‘I am backing Boris Johnson – he won a mandate from the electorate in 2019.
‘We need to get back to delivering on the Conservative manifesto we were elected on.’
It means the contest for the leadership is looking increasingly like a two-horse race between Mr Johnson and his former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
One tally yesterday afternoon had Mr Sunak on 80 MPs backing him, with Mr Johnson on 50 and Penny Mordaunt – the only Tory to announce officially that they are running so far – on 21.
Candidates must secure the backing of 100 MPs by Monday afternoon to make it on to the ballot paper.
But a YouGov poll yesterday found more than half of Britons (52 per cent) would be unhappy to see Mr Johnson return. Only 27 per cent would be happy to see a comeback.
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