New Tory leadership challenger hinted at as partygate report publication drags on
29.01.2022 - 15:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A backbench Tory MP who has been critical of the Government’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal has become the first to announce he intends to stand for leader if Boris Johnson is voted out.
It comes as the Prime Minister could finally get sight of the highly anticipated “partygate” inquiry report from senior civil servant Sue Gray as early as this weekend, after police insisted they had not delayed its publication.
No 10 had still not received a copy of the report into possible lockdown breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall on Saturday morning.
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It is widely believed that either Chancellor Rishi Sunak or Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are frontrunners to win the top job if the Prime Minister is ousted.
But the Daily Mail reported on Friday that centrist Tories are backing ex-soldier Tom Tugendhat.
The newspaper said some Conservative MPs believe the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) chairman represents the “best chance for a fresh start”.
The MP for Tonbridge and Malling told Times Radio on Saturday: “I think I’m making it pretty clear that I think that it’s up to all of us to put ourselves forward. And it’s up to the electorate, in the first case parliamentary colleagues, and in the second case the party, to choose.
“I think it’s a position of absolute integrity to say that of course you should offer yourself to the electorate if you think you can do it. Of course you should talk to colleagues and see if you can get a group together, and if you can get a group together you should go for it.
“Now I haven’t been canvassing support so I don’t know if I’d be able to get the first group together – you’ve got to get a group first. But if you