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| Tory leadership battle intensifies as McVey and Rudd tout visions | Tory leadership battle intensifies as McVey and Rudd tout visions |
| (4 days later) | |
| The race to succeed Theresa May has escalated as 10 contenders from the Conservative party spent Monday either touting their visions for the future or busily refusing to rule out running. | The race to succeed Theresa May has escalated as 10 contenders from the Conservative party spent Monday either touting their visions for the future or busily refusing to rule out running. |
| With the prime minister’s final attempt to pass a Brexit deal being dismissed by all wings of the party and her time in Downing Street being measured in weeks, there were two full-blown launches of new party groupings on Monday. | With the prime minister’s final attempt to pass a Brexit deal being dismissed by all wings of the party and her time in Downing Street being measured in weeks, there were two full-blown launches of new party groupings on Monday. |
| On the hardline Brexiter wing, the former work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, kicked off a movement to reconnect the Tories with working-class voters by promising to slash the overseas aid budget and give the money saved to schools and police. | On the hardline Brexiter wing, the former work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, kicked off a movement to reconnect the Tories with working-class voters by promising to slash the overseas aid budget and give the money saved to schools and police. |
| At an event seen as the start of her leadership campaign, though not billed as such, McVey said her new group, Blue Collar Conservatism, would push for the overseas aid budget to be cut from the current level of about £14.5bn a year to the £8.5bn seen in 2010, with the balance going to domestic priorities. | At an event seen as the start of her leadership campaign, though not billed as such, McVey said her new group, Blue Collar Conservatism, would push for the overseas aid budget to be cut from the current level of about £14.5bn a year to the £8.5bn seen in 2010, with the balance going to domestic priorities. |
| Later in the day, McVey’s successor in the work and pensions job, Amber Rudd, led a push from the centrist, remain-minded wing of the Conservatives for their views to be heard, notably in rejecting a no-deal Brexit. | Later in the day, McVey’s successor in the work and pensions job, Amber Rudd, led a push from the centrist, remain-minded wing of the Conservatives for their views to be heard, notably in rejecting a no-deal Brexit. |
| “The Conservative party is entering a new phase and we here in this room are determined to shape that phase,” Rudd told the One Nation caucus. | “The Conservative party is entering a new phase and we here in this room are determined to shape that phase,” Rudd told the One Nation caucus. |
| The most resistant segment of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs comprises 28 pro-Brexit backbenchers who have refused to be wooed by Theresa May and opposed her third attempt to pass her Brexit deal. Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen and Mark Francois are the most vocal members. Jacob Rees-Mogg remains close to the group despite backing May’s deal. Another 100 MPs have been associated with the ERG, including the potential Tory leadership candidates Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom. | The most resistant segment of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs comprises 28 pro-Brexit backbenchers who have refused to be wooed by Theresa May and opposed her third attempt to pass her Brexit deal. Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen and Mark Francois are the most vocal members. Jacob Rees-Mogg remains close to the group despite backing May’s deal. Another 100 MPs have been associated with the ERG, including the potential Tory leadership candidates Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom. |
| Esther McVey, a Brexiter who reluctantly voted for Theresa May’s deal, is the latest Tory to breathe life into the idea of blue-collar conservatism, previously championed by Robert Halfon, the chair of the education select committee. McVey launched her version on 20 May at an event widely seen as the unofficial start of her leadership bid. She and fellow MPs including Eddie Hughes, Ben Bradley and Scott Mann plan to tour UK pubs to spread their message. McVey’s supporters claim to have up to 40 MPs signed up to the group; other Brexiters claim the figure is less than 20. | Esther McVey, a Brexiter who reluctantly voted for Theresa May’s deal, is the latest Tory to breathe life into the idea of blue-collar conservatism, previously championed by Robert Halfon, the chair of the education select committee. McVey launched her version on 20 May at an event widely seen as the unofficial start of her leadership bid. She and fellow MPs including Eddie Hughes, Ben Bradley and Scott Mann plan to tour UK pubs to spread their message. McVey’s supporters claim to have up to 40 MPs signed up to the group; other Brexiters claim the figure is less than 20. |
| Amber Rudd has spearheaded this pro-remain, anti-no-deal group of MPs, which includes the international development secretary, Rory Stewart, and the former cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green. The group claims to have more than 60 MPs onboard and plans to stand against “narrow nationalism” and division and in favour of internationalism, environmental policies and protecting consumers from corporations and an “over-mighty state”. | Amber Rudd has spearheaded this pro-remain, anti-no-deal group of MPs, which includes the international development secretary, Rory Stewart, and the former cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green. The group claims to have more than 60 MPs onboard and plans to stand against “narrow nationalism” and division and in favour of internationalism, environmental policies and protecting consumers from corporations and an “over-mighty state”. |
| Led by the hugely popular Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Tories in Holyrood, and the Scottish secretary, David Mundell, this group’s overtly remain tendencies put them at odds with the likes of the ERG. Among the 13 Scottish Tory MPs and 31 MSPs there is controversy over Boris Johnson, who is a highly divisive figure in Scotland. | Led by the hugely popular Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Tories in Holyrood, and the Scottish secretary, David Mundell, this group’s overtly remain tendencies put them at odds with the likes of the ERG. Among the 13 Scottish Tory MPs and 31 MSPs there is controversy over Boris Johnson, who is a highly divisive figure in Scotland. |
| A loose term nowadays, since the former Cameroons are largely nowhere to be seen. Those flying the flag for a more socially progressive, relatable kind of conservatism include the former education secretary Justine Greening and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who even set up his own app in an attempt to keep up with the digital age. Both Greening and Hancock want to move on from Brexit so that other issues can be dealt with, but they are split on what that should look like. Greening has promoted a second referendum, while Hancock is urging all Brexiters to get behind May’s deal. | A loose term nowadays, since the former Cameroons are largely nowhere to be seen. Those flying the flag for a more socially progressive, relatable kind of conservatism include the former education secretary Justine Greening and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who even set up his own app in an attempt to keep up with the digital age. Both Greening and Hancock want to move on from Brexit so that other issues can be dealt with, but they are split on what that should look like. Greening has promoted a second referendum, while Hancock is urging all Brexiters to get behind May’s deal. |
| Other cabinet moderates who might stand for the leadership role – Rory Stewart and David Gauke – entered the meeting for a private briefing as the media were ushered out. | Other cabinet moderates who might stand for the leadership role – Rory Stewart and David Gauke – entered the meeting for a private briefing as the media were ushered out. |
| It fell to Nicholas Soames to sum up the frustration of centrist Tories, who he said had been “drowned out by the very aggressive and intolerant tone of the ERG”. | It fell to Nicholas Soames to sum up the frustration of centrist Tories, who he said had been “drowned out by the very aggressive and intolerant tone of the ERG”. |
| Both Rudd and McVey are seen as outside chances to succeed May in a race where Boris Johnson is still clear favourite. Rudd has not even officially said she will stand. As such, their events were as much about shoring up their position in a future administration, both in terms of ministerial jobs and overall vision. | Both Rudd and McVey are seen as outside chances to succeed May in a race where Boris Johnson is still clear favourite. Rudd has not even officially said she will stand. As such, their events were as much about shoring up their position in a future administration, both in terms of ministerial jobs and overall vision. |
| McVey made it plain that in her view the new prime minister must be a true Brexit believer – a definition that would rule out not just the likes of Rudd but also the born-again Brexiters Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid. | McVey made it plain that in her view the new prime minister must be a true Brexit believer – a definition that would rule out not just the likes of Rudd but also the born-again Brexiters Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid. |
| Hunt and Javid themselves, while widely assumed to be interested in the post, were notably coy when asked about it on Monday. Javid, asked about his ambitions after a speech on counter-terrorism, said: “The prime minister has said she will step down. When she does there will be no shortage of candidates and whether I’m one of them, you’ll have to wait and see.” | Hunt and Javid themselves, while widely assumed to be interested in the post, were notably coy when asked about it on Monday. Javid, asked about his ambitions after a speech on counter-terrorism, said: “The prime minister has said she will step down. When she does there will be no shortage of candidates and whether I’m one of them, you’ll have to wait and see.” |
| Hunt, speaking at an event in Geneva, said voters “want Brexit sorted … as quickly as possible and we have a responsibility to find every which way to do that”. | Hunt, speaking at an event in Geneva, said voters “want Brexit sorted … as quickly as possible and we have a responsibility to find every which way to do that”. |
| Hunt said a no-deal departure would be “immensely disruptive”, and he declined to be drawn on a leadership bid, telling Channel 4 News: “What I can confirm is I want to sort Brexit along with my cabinet colleagues and that’s what we’re discussing tomorrow.” | Hunt said a no-deal departure would be “immensely disruptive”, and he declined to be drawn on a leadership bid, telling Channel 4 News: “What I can confirm is I want to sort Brexit along with my cabinet colleagues and that’s what we’re discussing tomorrow.” |
| The environment secretary is to pitch himself as a “unity candidate” capable of attracting leavers and remainers, as he formally declared his candidacy saying: “I believe that I’m ready to unite the Conservative and Unionist party, ready to deliver Brexit and ready to lead this great country.” But robust Brexiters in particular dislike the fact that he stayed loyal even in the final days of the crumbling May regime. | |
| The health secretary remains a relative outsider, but the longer the race goes on, the more he gains ground for the seemingly basic virtues of being apparently competent and broadly similar to a normal human being, albeit a particularly energetic one. A concerted effort would probably require an image consultant. | |
| Fears that the foreign secretary would be another overly woolly compromise choice were hardly assuaged when after a set-piece speech he seemed unable to outline why his brand of Conservatism might appeal to voters. | |
| The home secretary still has the same weaknesses: he is an uninspiring speaker and some worry he is too fond of headline-grabbing, illiberal political gestures. But he is almost as ubiquitous as Liz Truss, and clearly believes this is his time. | |
| The out-and-out favourite, so popular with the Tory grassroots that it would be hard for MPs to not make Johnson one of the final two. He has been relatively quiet recently, beyond his regular Telegraph column, but this is very deliberate. | |
| The former House of Commons leader, who left Theresa May as the last candidate standing when she pulled out of the previous leadership race in 2016, has decided to have another tilt at the top job, saying she has the “experience and confidence” to “lead this country into a brighter future”. But even with her staunch Brexiter tendencies, she would be seen as an outsider. | |
| The housing minister is credited as the convener of both Conservative leavers and remainers to develop a compromise on May’s withdrawal agreement. He said there was a “yearning for change”. The 52-year-old is a former deputy mayor of London and entered the Commons in 2015 when David Cameron’s Conservatives won a majority. His name was given to the “Malthouse compromise” – a proposal drawn up by backbenchers from leave and remain wings of the Tory party, which would have implemented May’s Brexit deal with the backstop replaced by alternative arrangements. | |
| The former work and pensions secretary, who quit last year over May’s Brexit plans, has launched her own in-party campaign group/leadership vehicle called Blue Collar Conservatism, promising to make the party more amenable to voters in deprived communities – mainly through a promise to deliver a strong Brexit and policies such as diverting much of the foreign aid budget to schools and police. | |
| Few things say “would-be leader in waiting” like a kitchen photoshoot with your spouse, and the former Brexit secretary duly obliged with this imageawash with tasteful pastel hues. He formally launched his bid in the Mail on Sunday. Among the more core constituency of Conservative MPs, Raab has been pushing hard, as has his semi-official “Ready for Raab” Twitter feed. | |
| The cabinet’s most recent arrival – Mordaunt’s promotion to defence led to Stewart becoming international development secretary – certainly has the necessary ambition and self-belief, plus a privileged if unorthodox backstory covering Eton, Oxford, a senior role in postwar Iraq and a bestselling book about walking across Afghanistan. He remains an outsider, not least because of his remain tendencies and slightly 2010 view of compassionate Conservatism. | |
| Sir Graham Brady, Penny Mordaunt and James Brokenshire are yet to declare their intentions. Liz Truss and Amber Rudd have ruled themselves out. | |
| Among other senior figures not expected to run are Brandon Lewis, Chris Grayling and Philip Hammond. Gavin Williamson’s recent sacking after the Huawei leak inquiry will also surely rule him out as an option this time around. | |
| Falling somewhere between the two approaches was Matt Hancock. The health secretary simultaneously refused to definitively confirm a pitch for No 10 while outlining at some length what his personal vision would be if he did. | Falling somewhere between the two approaches was Matt Hancock. The health secretary simultaneously refused to definitively confirm a pitch for No 10 while outlining at some length what his personal vision would be if he did. |
| Sent out for a round of media interviews to talk up May’s seemingly doomed Brexit plan, which returns to the Commons at the start of next month, Hancock told the BBC: “I don’t rule out standing for the leadership of the Conservative party.” | Sent out for a round of media interviews to talk up May’s seemingly doomed Brexit plan, which returns to the Commons at the start of next month, Hancock told the BBC: “I don’t rule out standing for the leadership of the Conservative party.” |
| Hancock was later obliged to explain why he, as health secretary, was pictured eating a high-fat waffle for breakfast. | Hancock was later obliged to explain why he, as health secretary, was pictured eating a high-fat waffle for breakfast. |
| The defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, used her first Commons outing in the new job since taking from the sacked Gavin Williamson to say Jeremy Corbyn was wrong on a series of global issues ranging from the Falklands to Russia and to Hamas. | The defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, used her first Commons outing in the new job since taking from the sacked Gavin Williamson to say Jeremy Corbyn was wrong on a series of global issues ranging from the Falklands to Russia and to Hamas. |
| At an event on Monday night with several leadership hopefuls, the former Brexit minister Dominic Raab called for a 5p cut in the basic rate of income tax. | At an event on Monday night with several leadership hopefuls, the former Brexit minister Dominic Raab called for a 5p cut in the basic rate of income tax. |
| The other possible contenders speaking at the Telegraph event – Hancock, Liz Truss, James Cleverly and Victoria Atkins – also urged the Tory leadership to put money back in voters’ pockets, solve the housing crisis and deliver Brexit to see off the threat of Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage. | The other possible contenders speaking at the Telegraph event – Hancock, Liz Truss, James Cleverly and Victoria Atkins – also urged the Tory leadership to put money back in voters’ pockets, solve the housing crisis and deliver Brexit to see off the threat of Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage. |
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