DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Tory MPs must focus on substance over style
For the avoidance of doubt, The Mail believes so Tory Leadership competition should not take place.
From our point of view Boris Johnson was and remains the best choice for Prime Minister, and his political assassination shames the seedy, knife-wielding conspirators.
The charges against him were mostly trivial and greatly exaggerated by his enemies, choreographed by his malevolent former aide Dominic Cummings.
If his MPs had had a fraction of the courage their leader had shown towards Ukraine, he could easily have weathered the storm of confided indignation and continued on his mission to make that country a better place.
Instead, they suffered a bout of collective hysteria that stripped away their best voting asset. A herd of lemmings would have shown a better sense of self-preservation.
In our view, Boris Johnson was and is the best choice for Prime Minister and his political assassination puts the shabby conspirators who wielded the knives to shame
As the Pretenders battled for his crown on Wednesday, he showed why we will miss him so much. In a stellar Commons performance, he made his opponents look small and insignificant – defused their measly attacks with his usual wit and flair.
Meanwhile, after showing a horrifying misjudgment in rejecting Boris, Tory MPs look just as clueless in their search for his successor.
A surprising number have chosen Penny Mordaunt with no indication that she would even remotely be up to the job. In fact, evidence is mounting to the contrary.
In a scathing critique, her former boss and Brexit advocate Lord Frost said he was forced to replace her because of her lack of understanding and commitment.
Now it turns out she has quit her previous job as head of public relations at Kensington and Chelsea Council amid allegations of incompetence.
There have already been concerns about their support for trans right-wing extremists and the external regulation of the press. Tory MPs should look closely at her record before satisfying herself that she is capable of running the country.
A surprising number have chosen Penny Mordaunt with no indication that she would even remotely be up to the job. In fact, evidence is mounting to the contrary
However, all is not gloomy. With Kemi Badenoch, the competition has produced a star of the future. Clever, down to earth and engaging, she would make an excellent addition to the next cabinet. Her inexperience speaks against her for the top job.
This paper considers that two candidates are head and shoulders above the other – both have proven their credentials at the highest level of government.
Rishi Sunak was an excellent Chancellor and will always be admired for leading the economy through Covid.
Some of its more recent decisions have infuriated traditional Conservatives, most notably raising Social Security – a kamikaze decision the Mail has fought hard against.
Under his supervision we now have the highest tax burden since the 1940s. And many will never forgive him for shoving the stiletto in his leader’s back.
The other candidate with proven ability in a number of cabinet posts is Liz Truss.
As she showed in last night’s debate, she is not as sophisticated a public performer as some. Call us old-fashioned, but with this newspaper we value substance over style.
She has consistently demonstrated her skills in this department. She has negotiated trade deals around the world, opposed the EU on Northern Ireland and been tirelessly determined on Ukraine.
Today she unveils imaginative plans to use targeted tax cuts to ease the financial burden on disadvantaged families and carers. Along with pledges to reverse Social Security growth, keep corporate taxes low and eliminate some environmental taxes, it offers real Tory solutions to real problems.
Not only is she the candidate with the most impressive resume, she is also the one who best embodies the conservative principles of entitlement, family values and low taxes. Excluding them from the final vote would be an unforgivable breach of trust.
