'The establishment have won': Iain Dale's attack on media 'stitch-up' in Tory campaign
20 July 2022, 19:51
The establishment have won in Tory leadership campaign
The print media and journalists 'should be ashamed of themselves' for the 'tripe' they circulated during the Tory leadership campaign.
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will go head-to-head in the Conservative membership vote to be the next party leader, and Prime Minister.
Penny Mordaunt was eliminated from the race on Wednesday after only receiving 105 votes from Conservative MPs to Liz Truss' 113 and Rishi Sunak's 137.
Read more: Sunak and Truss will go head-to-head to become PM after Mordaunt eliminated from Tory race
Iain Dale took aim at media "character assassinations" against Ms Mordaunt, where prominent newspapers carried stories questioning the Trade Minister's work ethic – backed up by prominent Tories such as Lord Frost.
"The coverage...has been disgusting. It has been amateurish." He began.
"I've never bought into the idea that the establishment can stitch things up, but boy have they stitched things up here!"
Read more: 'Hasta la vista, baby': Boris leaves final PMQs to tears, cheers and jeers
Read more: Matt Hancock explains why he's backing Rishi Sunak to be Tory leader
Iain believed it to be "a disgrace" that Ms Mordaunt suffered such criticism, adding that journalists who took part in the criticisms "should be ashamed of themselves".
Iain Dale's irate reaction to media's attacks during Tory leadership
"I'm not surprised by that result" Iain admitted earlier, telling LBC listeners that "no candidate could have stood the find of media character assassination that Penny Mordaunt has suffered."
He went on: "I thought [Penny Mordaunt] was the most exciting choice."
"Now you've got the man who's just resigned as Chancellor, and the current Foreign Secretary"
"I don't think this is over by a long shout" Iain concluded ominously.
