Former Brexit minister Lord Frost has thrown his help behind Liz Truss as he urged Kemi Badenoch to drag out of the Tory management contest so there may be “unity among free marketeers”.
“Kemi and Suella Braverman set out convincing programmes, with differing emphases, for change,” the 57-year-old wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
“But Liz’s depth of expertise, her power and concepts – in addition to the straightforward reality she has probably the most votes of the three – put her within the lead.
“It is now time for pragmatism. I urge Kemi to stand down in return for a serious job in a Truss administration.”
Ms Badenoch was below stress early on Friday to withdraw and again Ms Truss to maintain Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt out of No 10.
Ms Badenoch’s marketing campaign, nonetheless, stated she is “in it to win”.
Her spokesman stated: “Kemi has brought interesting ideas and a new approach to this leadership contest. She is looking forward to the debates this weekend.
“She has no intention of stepping down and is in it to win.”
Lord Frost, a former diplomat who doesn’t get a vote as a Tory peer, additionally stepped up his assaults on Ms Mordaunt as being “absent on parade” when he labored along with her on post-Brexit negotiations final 12 months.
Ms Truss was choosing up help from the Tory proper after Attorney General Suella Braverman was eradicated from an more and more bitter management race that noticed Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt bolster their positions as frontrunners.
Mr Sunak, the previous chancellor, got here out on prime of Thursday’s voting, and in second was Ms Mordaunt, who was bearing the brunt of the assaults from rival camps as she gained probably the most momentum.
Ms Braverman fared the worst within the second spherical and was eradicated to depart 5 contenders – the 4 talked about candidates plus backbencher Tom Tugendhat – who will participate within the first televised debate on Friday night.
She got here out in help of Ms Truss, describing the Foreign Secretary because the “best person to unleash the opportunities of Brexit” and ship tax cuts, as the fitting of the celebration seeks to rally spherical a single candidate.
Source: www.unbiased.co.uk