- As Support Mounts For Sunak, Johnson, Mordaunt
After serving Liz Truss’s short Premiership and keeping an extremely low profile, Rishi Sunak is firmly back on the scene this morning, with several MPs declaring their support in a coordinated social media push last night.
Born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s, Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 13 February 2020 to 5 July 2022, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020.
The politician’s deepest appeal to MPs is his promise of absolution: if you think the voters’ distaste for Boris Johnson is only outdone by their disgust at everything that has happened since, Sunak allows you to rewind the clock, but not too far.
Among the MPs who voiced their support for Sunak on Twitter are Simon Hart, Helen Whately, Huw Merriman and Nick Gibb.
Hart said that this was “no time for experiments; no time for frivolity…this means choosing someone serious, tested, competent and kind.”
After the last few weeks, the very least we can do for the country is get the right Prime Minister this time. No time for experiments; no time for frivolity; no time to line up a job offer.
This means choosing someone serious, tested, competent & kind. For me, that’s Rishi Sunak. — Simon Hart (@Simonhartmp) October 20, 2022
While Sunak beats the other plausible candidates, apart from Johnson, in recent membership polls, it is easy to see the former PM’s hardcore in the rank and file coalescing around Penny Mordaunt instead.
So, Sunak would certainly rather have the race sewn up early. But given the deep divides in the party over economic policy, as well as whether he should be held personally responsible for Johnson’s demise, any impression of unity is likely to be only a superficial effect.
Former Culture Secretary and current member for Mid Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries was among those who voiced support for Boris Johnson on Thursday, both on television and on Twitter, where she said, “One person was elected by the British public with a manifesto and a mandate until January 25”:
One person was elected by the British public with a manifesto and a mandate until January ‘25. If Liz Truss is no longer PM there can be no coronation of previously failed candidates.
MPs must demand the return of @BorisJohnson – if not, it has to be leadership election or a GE. — Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) October 20, 2022
Similarly, Member for West Cornwall Derek Thomas tweeted in support of Mordaunt, who he said had been his first choice when he supported Truss:
Although she wasn’t my first choice, I supported Liz Truss because I believed she would deliver the growth this country needs.
She herself accepted in her resignation speech that she will not be able to do so. My first choice for Prime Minister is again Penny Mordaunt.#PMforPM — Derek Thomas MP (@DerekThomasUK) October 20, 2022
Mordaunt has served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since September 2022 – With the Guardian report
