But to maintain momentum in the coming weeks as new policies dry up, the foreign secretary’s team wants to go even further, overturning those who have already declared their support for Conservative leadership challenger Rishi Sunak. They hope to further dampen the already faltering morale of his camp by persuading MPs to back a winner, with Truss leading in many opinion polls. But as her chances of becoming prime minister increase, there is less reward for those who jump ship and are accused of rank opportunism. The most coveted endorsements are those of other leadership candidates, given the attention they attract and the fact that they often bring along their allies. Penny Mordaunt stole the show at the second hustings in Exeter by taking to the stage to introduce and support Truss. But some of her supporters felt betrayed and did not follow suit, blaming the foreign secretary’s team for a series of smears that saw Mordan exit the members’ ballot with possibly just four MP votes. Earlier in the competition, Tom Tugendhat was waiting with open arms to welcome Truss at a campaign event held at a military base. A mere backbencher weeks ago, but now considered a fifth-placed contender in the Tory leadership race, his support has been crucial in bringing other “one nation” MPs along. Another useful support for Truss came in the form of Sajid Javid, who, although he had to withdraw from the race in the early stages after failing to garner enough nominations, has served in several cabinet posts. The sting snubbing Sunak, his friend and former protégé at the Treasury Department, left Truss’ team rubbing their hands with glee. Having conquered most of the Cabinet – the Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace. business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Boris Johnson loyalists such as Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg – there is still one former leadership contender who has yet to give her support. Kemi Badenoch, seen as a rising star on the Tory right, has been fired up but has so far kept her powder dry. A Truss ally complained that if Badenoch did not “go over the top, he could decide [whether] he gets a job in the cabinet.” They said other MPs had to endure the media rounds taking the heat for Truss on her behalf and added: “You’d be sad if someone who couldn’t be bothered parachuted straight to the top.” Sunak failed to win significant new endorsements after all seven of his cabinet supporters showed up early in the campaign. His latest supporters included mainly the old guard – former Tory leaders such as William Hague and Michael Howard, as well as Thatcher-era cabinet ministers, including her chancellor, Nigel Lawson. Given the way the contest is shaping up, several avowed Sunak supporters said they had been quietly encouraged by Truss’s team to switch sides. At the start of the Leadership contest I was rooting for Rishi but as it has continued there is only one person who will unite the country and the party and that is Liz Truss! 🏴👠 pic.twitter.com/EcMkdYRabt — James Evans MS (@JamesEvansMS) August 3, 2022 James Evans, a Conservative member of the Senedd in Wales, said after this week’s protests in Cardiff that he had initially supported Sunak “but as it has gone on, there is only one person who will bring the country and the party together and that is Liz Tras”. . Pictured beaming next to her in the post announcing his decision, Evans had not tweeted any previous expressions of support for Sunak. And an ally of the former chancellor insisted it had “never been out for us”. Another source in Sunak’s team accused Truss of “desperately” trying to rally his supporters. “That’s the only way she’ll maintain her momentum and be toxic to us,” they sighed. “It’s momentum-sucking.” “If someone changes, it won’t be because they’ve changed their mind, it’ll be because they’ve lost their temper and fallen on a flipper,” said a third. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The Truss campaign maintains that they are simply trying to prepare for the end of the contest, which has caused devastating blue-on-blue attacks. About two dozen Truss supporters will sign a letter published later this week stressing the need to unite the party as Sunak’s team grows increasingly angry and seeks to deal more blows to her in a bid to avoid looks like lost on hold. . One MP who refused to back either candidate predicted there would soon be “rats abandoning the sinking ship”. But even if Truss manages to score a few more points over Sunak by flipping her supporters, she will inherit an uneasy party. “It may have the compounds, but it will suffer the same fate [former Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn and not be able to control the parliamentary party,” warned another Tory source, who has yet to be named. “He may win this battle, but not the war.”
