Greg Hunts, who is backing the former chancellor in the Tory leadership race, told Sky News the social media post was “disgusting”, especially after the fatal stabbing of Southend MP Sir David Amess at the polling station of the district last year. “It’s not even a year since Sir David was stabbed … so I think this is very, very bad taste, even dangerous,” he said. “I find it distasteful and I find it, less than a year after the stabbing of our colleague, in very, very poor taste, even dangerous.” But an ally of Ms Dorris, who is backing Liz Truss in the leadership race, said: “It is clearly a satirical image of Brutus and Cissaar, which has clearly been photographed to make a political comment. “There were similar cartoons [Michael] Gove in 2016. Some people will of course want to be deliberately offended.’ The Minister of Culture has been an ardent defender of the prime minister and a fierce critic of those who contributed to his downfall. It is not the first time he has caused controversy on social media, tweeting last week about the price of Mr Sunak’s suits, compared to the Secretary of State’s earrings from Claire’s Accessories. He also wrote a damning piece in Saturday’s Daily Mail, accusing Sunak of “planning a coup for a long time” and saying he commented on his dress sense to “warn Tory members not to get carried away by appearances in the way that it happened to many of us who served with the chancellor in the Cabinet.” Mrs Dorris added: “Many of us were fooled by the killer’s bright smile, kind voice and even his small stature.” But Mr Hunts said the increasingly bitter contest to become the next Tory leader – and UK prime minister – had to be “fought about the issues and the leadership qualities” of the two candidates, rather than insults. Image: Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are in the running to be the next Conservative leader and UK Prime Minister Meanwhile, candidates continue to make their policy pitches to members of the Conservative Party, which will begin voting this week. Mr Sunak has pledged to introduce a temporary £10 fine for NHS patients who fail to attend a GP appointment, while Ms Truss has described herself as “education prime minister” with a plan that includes replacing failing academies with “a new wave of free schools. “. The pair will campaign over the summer, with a series of pranks and a face-to-face debate on Sky News, hosted by Kay Burley. The winner will then be announced on September 5 and is expected to move to Number 10 the following day.
