Tory leadership contender Nadhim Zahawi: I’d give Boris Johnson a job in my Cabinet

13 July 2022, 08:23 | Updated: 13 July 2022, 09:15

Zahawi: If Boris wants a Cabinet job I would give him one

Tory leadership contender Nadhim Zahawi told LBC today that he would give his "friend" Boris Johnson a Cabinet job if he became Prime Minister.

Speaking on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Zahawi explained Mr Johnson was a friend of 30 years and he would be open to taking him on in a Cabinet role if he became Prime Minister.

"If [Mr Johnson] wishes to serve in Cabinet then I would certainly offer him a job," Mr Zahawi told Nick.

"He has been probably the most consequential Prime Minster of his generation."

Comparing Mr Johnson's time as PM to his Tory predecessors, Mr Zahawi insisted the now caretaker PM had "delivered Brexit" and "got us through a global pandemic".

Read more: Police probe into Sir Mo Farah's childhood 'should be up to Mo,' says Zahawi

Zahawi suggests license fee could be scrapped

Read more: Zahawi tells teachers and nurses to 'be disciplined' amid calls for pay rise

Read more: Sunak vows to run economy like Thatcher as Tory leadership down to eight candidates

Nominations for the first vote in the Tory leadership contest will be held at 1.30pm today.

Those who made the first ballot will now require backing from 30 MPs out of the 358 total to survive into the second round on Thursday.

At least the lowest-placed contender will be eliminated in each ballot until two remain. They will then be put to party members in a postal ballot, with hustings held across the UK during August.

The new leader will be announced on September 5, becoming PM the following day.

On his leadership hopes, Mr Zahawi told Nick of his five pledges if he was elected as the next PM.

He said he intends to:

• Cut taxes to reduce the cost of living
• Lower energy bills
• Increase defence spending
• Review Euro bureaucracy to help businesses
• Get tough on crime

He added: "I hope my colleagues are listening and will be voting accordingly."

Despite not being backed by as many of his colleagues as frontrunners Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, Mr Zahawi said he remained "positive" and was "working hard" to show what he had to offer in the leadership battle.

When asked if he would scrap the BBC licence fee, Mr Zahawi said: "Nothing is off the table."

He added that a review into the business model would be needed – looking how the BBC is funded and how it can become sustainable in the future – due to the way people consume media changing.

Mr Zahawi gave a similar answer regarding the Rwanda migrant policy, saying "nothing's off the table" when questioned about whether he would leave the European Court of Human Rights to follow through with deportation flights.

He added that it was an important policy to deliver as people continue to be exploited by coming across the Channel in small boats.

'Nadhim Zahawi, why are you not popular with colleagues?'

Tory MPs will have the chance to vote for the eight contenders vying to replace Boris Johnson, as balloting begins to find his successor.

Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman will all be on the ballot on Wednesday, after all secured the 20 nominations from fellow MPs needed to enter the contest.

Yesterday saw the field whittled down, with some high-profile causalities as the race to become Conservative leader intensifies.

Former health secretary Sajid Javid said he was pulling out having apparently failed to attract enough support, moments before chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, made the formal announcement in a Commons committee room.

Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that he was abandoning his bid and would be supporting Mr Sunak, the former chancellor.

Backbencher Rehman Chishti - seen as the rank outsider - also said that he was dropping out having failed to get enough nominations.

The remaining candidates were grilled by fellow MPs in two sets of hustings on Wednesday evening organised by the Centre for Social Justice and Common Sense Group of Conservatives.

Meanwhile Ms Truss, the Foreign Secretary, gained the endorsement of prominent Johnson loyalists Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries and James Cleverly, in what was seen as a concerted move to prevent Mr Sunak entering No 10.

Many supporters of the Prime Minister remain furious with Mr Sunak for the role he played in bringing him down, with his decision last week to quit helping to trigger a further slew of resignations.

The Foreign Secretary's campaign also received a potential fillip with the announcement by Home Secretary Priti Patel, a fellow right winger, that she would not be standing, giving Ms Truss a clearer run.

Ms Dorries accused Mr Sunak's team of "dirty tricks" after claims that one of his supporters - ex-chief whip Gavin Williamson - had been trying to "syphon off" votes for Mr Hunt so he would make it to the final run-off with Mr Sunak.

The claim was denied by Mr Hunt, who told LBC it was a "very dangerous game to play".

Backers of Mr Hunt believe that he will be able to amass the required minimum of 30 votes in the first ballot later on Wednesday.

Allies of Mr Sunak also hit back at the claim by Ms Dorries, calling it "complete nonsense" being "spread by anti-Rishi people".

Mr Sunak will instead on Wednesday try to burnish his economic credentials, using an interview with the Daily Telegraph to compare himself to Margaret Thatcher.

Zahawi: Single sex toilets should be kept as a priority

Meanwhile, Mr Zahawi, the Chancellor, brushed off a rebuke from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey for setting out tax proposals during the campaign, saying he was setting out his stall to be Prime Minister and his plans were "fully costed".

Mr Zahawi criticised his predecessor's hesitancy, insisting it is not a "fairytale" to cut taxes to ease the cost-of-living crisis.

The current Chancellor also used an appearance before Conservative MPs to declare his strong support for the family - something he said had gone out of fashion.

Under the rules set out by Sir Graham, candidates who fail to get 30 votes in the first ballot will be eliminated, with a second vote expected on Thursday.

The process is then likely to continue into next week, with candidate with the lowest vote dropping out, until the list of candidates is whittled down to just two.

They will have the summer recess to win the support of the Tory membership, which will ultimately chose the next prime minister, with the final result due on September 5.

Who has made it through to the first Tory ballot?

Kemi Badenoch

Proposed: Lee Rowley

Seconded: Julia Lopez

Suella Braverman

Proposed: David Jones

Seconded: Miriam Cates

Jeremy Hunt

Proposed: Esther McVey

Seconded: Anthony Mangnall

Penny Mordaunt

Proposed: Andrea Leadsom

Seconded: Craig Tracey

Rishi Sunak

Proposed: Dominic Raab

Seconded: Mel Stride

Liz Truss

Proposed: Simon Clarke

Seconded: Therese Coffey

Tom Tugendhat

Proposed: Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Seconded: James Daly

Nadhim Zahawi

Proposed: Brandon Lewis

Seconded: Amanda Milling