Opposition parties says the frontrunner for next PM is ‘running scared’ as Tory leadership race enters final stages
Matt Warman, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport minister who is supporting Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign, has said “Rishi is still fighting absolutely for every vote” adding the “disruptive” nature of the leadership contest “is deeply regrettable”.
He told Sky News:
You’re seeing him going out and meeting huge numbers of party members right even up to this moment, and I think if you’re going to have a contest, it is sensible to have a contest.
It was widely pointed out before Boris Johnson stood down, how disruptive this process would be. That is deeply regrettable and it’s more true now than ever, but I do think, as I say, less than a week to go, it is what it is right now.
I don’t make the rules on how long it’s taken to go through this contest, but I think personally I would have preferred it, had it taken somewhat less time yes.
I think when the party considers what the rules might look like going forward, that will I suspect be something that many people will take an interest in, but that’s not a problem that we can address right now, we’ve got less than a week until the new prime minister is in place.
It’s important that candidates face proper scrutiny so that members and the public know what they are offering. Avoiding that scrutiny suggests either Truss doesn’t have a plan at all or the plan she has falls far short of the challenges we face this winter.
