With some supporters of the former chancellor dismayed by Truss’ apparent grip on the contest to replace Boris Johnson, allies have warned there has been too much focus on polished social media content, TV appearances and visits to voters who have not won over Tory members. Many Tory MPs believe there is now only a short window to change the race, with ballot papers delivered to members from . Some prominent supporters want Sunak and a large network of supportive MPs to spend their time exclusively contacting local members directly via phone banks and online group calls to make his case. Truss tried to play down suggestions she was on course for an outright victory on Saturday, saying the race to become prime minister was “not over”. Despite endorsements from prominent Tories last week, she said it would be “extremely premature” to start thinking about who will have a place in her cabinet. He added: “This is a very, very close race and I’m fighting for every vote.” Several MPs said many local members were relatively easy to persuade to support Sunak over Truss after they had been contacted, arguing that support for the foreign secretary was often lukewarm. However, they said the “air war” aspects of Sunak’s campaign simply did not reach the membership, believed to be around 160,000 people. “They are running it like an election campaign,” said one Sunak supporter. “This is very simple. There are 160,000 Tory members across the country. We know who they are. We know where they are. All we have to do is talk to them. The social media campaign, the TV appearances – most of them make no difference to the membership. “The vote is very gentle, you don’t have to do much to move it. We make it too complicated. There are great people in charge, but I’m just concerned that we’re running the wrong campaign.” Another MP said: “The things their children are producing is social media for a general election. These are party members. It should just attract Rishi and core supporters to as many members as possible. They try to get MPs out for them, but it mostly produces graphics on social media.” A third ally said: “I think he’s finding it pretty tough, but I can’t give up hope yet. There are many MPs talking to their associations. There is still time. It would be absurd to carry forward the moves for the next four weeks.” Campaign sources said last night that Sunak was already heavily involved in talking directly to members, including through online calls and local events. They said regional campaign co-ordinators had been working with supportive MPs from the start to reach out to members. He was also photographed meeting groups of members yesterday. “The more people see Rishi, the more they like him, so our strategy is to get him in front of as many members as possible,” said a campaign source. “We’re definitely the underdogs, but last time I checked the Brits looked like the lucky underdogs. Members don’t like being told what to think by the media, so Team Truss shouldn’t be counting their chickens just yet.” Liz Truss yesterday; A number of prominent Tories have rallied behind her in recent days. Photo: Henry Nicholls/PA His team described yesterday as a “super Saturday”, targeting local Tory unions in key southern constituencies with large memberships. They are also areas where members are most likely to have been upset by the chaotic nature of Johnson’s premiership. Concerns remain about how the party will bounce back after a bitter campaign. Amanda Milling, the foreign secretary and former party chair, is pushing candidates to sign up for a “clean campaign” to limit the damage. “This leadership race has been the most toxic I’ve ever seen,” he said. “For the rest of the race, I call on the groups to stop blue on blue and focus on a clean, fair and focused political campaign. If we don’t, we make the task of reuniting the party more difficult and risk seeing us out of power for a decade.” Polls of Tory MPs suggest Truss has a healthy double-digit lead over Sunak, but the former chancellor’s cheerleaders say the battle is far from over. “The feeling is that the Truss vote is still soft, so we shouldn’t assume anything about the membership yet,” one insider said. In an earlier intervention, Sunak promised to tackle what he described as “woke nonsense”. While he claimed he had no interest in fighting a “culture war”, he said he wanted to “end brainwashing, vandalism and finger-pointing”. This led to accusations that he was trying to outdo Truss on the right. Calls for a campaign overhaul are a sign of frustration and concern among Sunak’s supporters. As Sunak trails Truss in the polls, a number of prominent Tories have swung behind the foreign secretary in recent days as she has cemented her front-runner status. Tom Tugendhat, who had emerged as the preferred candidate to lead the Conservative party’s One Nation centre-wing, is the latest major figure to back Truss. She said her plan for immediate tax cuts was “based on true conservative principles.” His support followed endorsements from Jake Berry, the influential leader of the Northern Inquiry Parliamentary Group, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, a favorite among Tory MPs.
