Top Tory says there’s ‘no question’ of Rishi Sunak quitting ahead of the election
The Work and Pensions Secretary has defended Rishi Sunak amid fury at his D-Day snub this week.
Mel Stride defends Rishi Sunak for his D-Day 'mistake'
A top Cabinet Minister has been forced to deny that Rishi Sunak could be replaced as Tory leader in the final weeks before Britons go to the polls.
Appearing on Sky News for a grilling Mr Stride was asked whether it would be sensible for Mr Sunak to stand down in a last-ditch attempt to save the Tories from electoral oblivion.
Trevor Phillips said: “We’re about to make as a country a big decision. Whatever Mr Sunak’s virtues as an administrator, I think lots of people will have looked at that and said ‘this is the wrong man at the wrong time.
“Would it not be a courageous and moral act for him to announce that he knows he’s leading his party to defeat, partly because of his own actions and his own shortcomings, and he will now step aside to save seats that won’t be saved if he stays for the next four weeks?"
He bluntly asked: “Is he going to lead you into this election?”
Mr Stride appeared thrown by the question, but emphatically replied: “Absolutely."
“There should be no question of anything other than that.
“Because what matters now, Trevor, is there’s a clear choice for the British people - there is a Conservative Party that has brought us through Covid, got inflation down, has now got us growing at the joint-fastest rate of the G7 countries, real wages growing for each of the last 10 months, taxes coming down on working people and we can move us to a more secure financial future.”
The denial by a serving cabinet minister that Mr Sunak could quit ahead of the election comes as Downing Street sources also describe rumours that he could go as “absolute cobblers”.
Mr Sunak poured fuel on the fire this morning by cancelling several media interviews.
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Former Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries also suggested that David Cameron would be a likely replacement for Mr Sunak should he bolt.
She tweeted: “I have always said that Cameron was popped into the Lords and into a senior ministerial post for a reason”.
“I thought maybe it was to replace Sunak at an earlier stage.
“Rumours around tonight that Sunak’s about to fall on his sword.
“There are no MPs - only Ministers. If Sunak does resign, any replacement would have to come from within Ministerial ranks…”
This morning The Times reports that Cabinet Ministers are now privately demanding that Mr Sunak "takes a step back to allow other senior Tories to become faces of the campaign".
