Rishi Sunak’s allies urged former Health Secretary Sajid Javid to step aside from the race to become the new leader of the Conservative party and instead join the ex-Chancellor’s campaign, according to The Times.
The newspaper reported that the 42-year-old is allegedly seeking to persuade Javid to join his leadership bid in “a secret pact” that would pave the way for the former Chancellor to become prime minister.
The Sunak allies reportedly contacted Javid’s friends, arguing that they are competing for the same votes. The Times also reported that former Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary George Eustice and Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland plan to support Sunak in the next few days.
Among those publicly backing Sunak’s leadership bid are Commons Leader Mark Spencer, former Tory Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden, former chief whip Mark Harper, as well as ex-ministers Liam Fox and Andrew Murrison, and MPs Sir Bob Neill and Paul Maynard.
This comes after Sunak officially declared his intention to stand as the next leader of the Tories and the UK’s prime minister on Friday, vowing in a slick video that his campaign would be based on “patriotism, fairness and hard work”.
“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,” the former Chancellor was seen saying in the footage. Sunak also unveiled a website as part of a campaign launch, with the slogan “Ready For Rishi”.
The 42-year-old quit as Treasury chief on Tuesday night within minutes of Javid's resignation as health secretary, something that prompted speculation that the two coordinated their exits from the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet.
In a resignation letter to Johnson, Sunak openly questioned BoJo’s competence and seriousness, while also referring to “fundamental” differences between himself and the PM on economic policy.
The ex-Chancellor stepped down following the scandal pertaining to Tory deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher, who resigned earlier this month, admitting to having "drank far too much" amid reports that he groped two men in a London club. Pincher already quit office once in 2017 after being accused of making a pass at ex-Olympic rower and Tory activist Alex Story. The Tory MP referred himself to police at the time, but was cleared of wrongdoing by a party probe.
The resignations of Sunak and Javid came shortly after BoJo admitted he had made a "bad mistake" in appointing Pincher to the role of deputy chief whip earlier this year, despite being made aware of previous allegations about the lawmaker’s misconduct. Apart from Sunak and Javid, a number of other government officials stepped down amid the Pincher scandal.
The developments culminated in Johnson announcing on Thursday that he was standing down as party leader, adding that he plans to remain in office as prime minister until a successor is picked, possibly until the autumn. A number of former and current UK government officials have already signaled their readiness to take part in the leadership race, with Sunak, Javid and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace seen as favorites to succeed BoJo.
Bloomberg news agency reported in this vein that the Conservative Party plans to reduce candidates to be the UK’s new prime minister to a final two by July 21, and have Johnson’s successor decided by September.