Rishi Sunak 'urges Sajid Javid to step aside' as Tory hopefuls launch bid to replace Boris

9 July 2022, 10:38 | Updated: 9 July 2022, 13:25

Rishi Sunak has allegedly urged Sajid Javid to step aside and join his campaign to become leader of the Conservative party, as the race to become prime minister heats up.

The former chancellor, who was one of the first to resign from government this week, is said to be trying to persuade Mr Javid to duck out of the leadership race.

Allies of Mr Sunak have allegedly contacted friends of the former health secretary arguing that they are competing for the same votes, The Times reports.

It's thought the 'secret pact' would pave the way for Mr Sunak, 42, to become prime minister.

Mr Sunak, who is enjoying some early support from senior Tories such as Oliver Dowden, Liam Fox and Mark Harper, promised he would "restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country" if he was the next prime minister.

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The Times has also reported that Sir Gavin Williamson, George Eustice and Sir Robert Buckland, will back Mr Sunak in the coming days.

The endorsement of Williamson, who has also held the role of chief whip, is particularly significant as he endorsed Theresa May and Boris Johnson before they won the leadership.

Mr Sunak launched his leadership campaign on Friday with a slick new video and slogan 'Ready for Rishi'.

In it he made a thinly-veiled dig at Mr Johnson, saying: "Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions."

He also said his values of "patriotism, fairness, hard work" were "non-negotiable".

In his glossy video launch he set out his family history, saying: "Our country faces huge challenges, the most serious for a generation.

"And the decisions we make today will decide whether the next generation of British people will also have the chance of a better future."

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Those in support of Mr Sunak have been sharing a link to his campaign website, www.ready4rishi.com.

It appears that a site with a slightly different name, www.readyforrishi.com, which redirects to the official campaign page, was set up in December 2021.

Mr Sunak's team said domains are bought all the time, adding that they had been transferred a number of them.

More leadership bids are expected to be revealed this weekend, including Mr Sunak's successor as chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, and foreign secretary Liz Truss.

So far, four MPs have announced their intention to stand as next prime minister, while front-runner Ben Wallace ruled himself out of the contest.

Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch is the latest to throw her hat into the ring, with a plan for a smaller state and a government "focused on the essentials".

The MP for Saffron Walden said she supported lower taxes "to boost growth and productivity, and accompanied by tight spending discipline".

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Writing in The Times, she also hit out at "identity politics" and said Boris Johnson was "a symptom of the problems we face, not the cause of them".

MP for North East Derbyshire, Lee Rowley, said he was backing Ms Badenoch.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, declared he would enter in January and then repeated his position in the Telegraph on Friday.

He said he was putting together a "broad coalition" offering a "clean start".

Attorney general Suella Braverman has also said she would run, announcing her plans on ITV on Wednesday - before Mr Johnson stepped down.

Former minister Steve Baker, who is backing Attorney General Suella Braverman for Tory leader, claimed Sunak is in an "unfortunate bind" as he has got to "double down" on his own economic policy to date.

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Matt Hancock says he isn't running to be Prime Minister

The MP for Wycombe told the BBC: "The problem that we've got with Rishi is that he's in a bind that he's got to double down on the policy that he has had.

"I believe that taxes in this country are too high at their current levels, so high that they'll be doing more harm than good at these levels.

"Now, unfortunately, because Rishi's record is of saying he wants low taxes, but then putting them up, he's now got to double down on that record during this campaign. And that leaves him in a very unfortunate bind."

Mr Baker said he had been "close" with Mr Sunak, and regretted he was not able to be "more optimistic and positive" about his economic record.

Meanwhile, Tory MP Rehman Chishti has confirmed he is "actively considering" running for PM.

The newly-appointed Foreign Office minister retweeted quotes attributed to him by the BBC, stating: "We need leaders who best reflect modern Britain and can provide solutions to the challenges our nation is facing now."

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The Tories are reportedly eyeing up a September deadline for the selection of a new Prime Minister amid fears the government is 'paralysed' by the current situation.

Mr Johnson has said he will remain in his post until a successor is elected, but also pledged not to make any major policy changes.

It has led to fears the government will be in a 'state of paralysis' over the coming months.

The Telegraph reports the 1922 Committee executive are drawing up plans to 'whittle down' the number of Tory candidates, therefore speeding up the process of selection with the aim of having a new Prime Minister in office by September 5.

Boris Johnson in the meantime has attempted to plug the gaps left by a flood of resignations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

He caused fury on Friday night when he made Andrea Jenkyns an education minister - after video footage appeared to show her making a rude gesture to protesters outside Downing Street on Thursday.

Also on Mr Johnson's new list of appointees is Peter Bone, who has been made deputy leader of the House of Commons.

But he has received criticism after speaking out against gay marriage and, more recently, in favour of the anti-abortion movement in the US.

Following elections to the executive of the backbench 1922 Committee on Monday, the new body will draw up a timetable for the leadership election.