NewsEuropeJohnson's allies close ranks against Sunak in the race to choose the next prime minister

Johnson’s allies close ranks against Sunak in the race to choose the next prime minister

Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. – Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/dpa

MADRID, July 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The allies of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, have closed their ranks on Wednesday against the former Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak in the middle of the race to elect the next head of government.

Shortly after Sunak announced the launch of his bid to become the next leader of the Conservatives — a race in which many see him as a front-runner — Johnson’s allies have turned their backs on him.

James Cleverly, who was appointed Education Minister a week ago, has accused Sunak of “being a puppet of the Treasury” and of being behind a plot against the Prime Minister, as reported by The Times.

“I think that what some did was try to create conditions to favor a leadership contest. There are people like Liz Truss who have defended the government’s decisions and have been working day by day so that what had to be done was done. People will draw their own conclusions,” he said.

In relation to his role as minister, he pointed out that he seemed like a “mere spokesman for the Treasury” and that his management “could not be differentiated from that which a Labor government would have carried out.” “We need to make it clear that you can’t keep taxing every challenge, you need to unlock economic growth,” he said.

Separately, Brexit Secretary of State for Opportunity Jacob Rees-Mogg and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries are leaning in favor of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to become the next prime minister.

A recent poll indicates that only about 12 percent of Conservative MPs would elect Sunak — who has asked not to demonize Johnson and has said he is a remarkable man — to the job. The poll is headed by Penny Mordaunt, also one of the favorites to win the position, although she only has 20 percent of the support.

This same Tuesday, the Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, has ruled out presenting herself as a candidate and has confirmed that for the moment she has not decided who to support, according to information from the BBC television network.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps has also withdrawn from the race to succeed Johnson but has announced that he will support Sunak, as indicated by the now deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, who announced five days ago that he himself will not show up. According to Raab, Sunak “has what it takes” to be prime minister.

Source: Europa Press

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