'Back anyone but Rishi Sunak': Boris Johnson asks defeated rivals
Sunak, who won the first two rounds of voting by Tory MPs, will take part in a series of televised debates with his remaining opponents, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former minister Kemi Badenoch, and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat, over the weekend.
FollowAs the contest to become Britain's next prime minister heats up, interim premier Boris Johnson has allegedly ordered his allies to vote "anyone but Rishi Sunak." Johnson, who resigned as leader of the ruling Conservative Party on July 7, has urged failed Tory leadership hopefuls not to endorse former chancellor Sunak, who is largely blamed for Johnson's loss of popularity among his own party members, according to The Times newspaper.
Johnson, who has stated that he will neither back any leadership candidates or openly meddle in the election, is claimed to have met with unsuccessful successor candidates and recommended that Sunak not become Prime Minister.
According to a source close to one of the talks, the current prime minister looked to be particularly interested in foreign secretary Liz Truss, who is supported by his most ardent cabinet friends, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries.
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Johnson is also said to be open to replacing Sunak with Penny Mordaunt, the junior trade minister. According to the report, interim Prime Minister Johnson and his supporters are waging a "anyone but Rishi" covert campaign after feeling betrayed by the former Chancellor's resignation, which prompted his departure from 10 Downing Street.
"Rishi is hated by the whole No.10 [Downing Street] team. It's quite personal. It's venomous. They don't hold Saj [Sajid Javid] responsible for bringing him down. Rishi is to blame. They believe he had been preparing this for months "According to a source reported in the publication.
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Sunak, who won the first two rounds of voting by Tory MPs, will take part in a series of televised debates with his remaining opponents, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former minister Kemi Badenoch, and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat, over the weekend.
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