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Local MPs supporting rival PM bids
13/07/2022
Victoria Prentis is backing Rishi Sunak whilst Andrea Leadsom is supporting Penny Mordaunt
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has received the support of Banbury’s MP Victoria Prentis in the Tory leadership race. But her near neighbour, South Northants MP Andrea Leadsom is backing a rival bid by Penny Mordaunt.
Whoever wins the race to lead the Conservatives will move into 10 Downing Street and become Prime Minister, replacing Boris Johnson, who was elected in 2019.
Mrs Prentis was at Rishi Sunak’s campaign launch event on Tuesday morning. She said: “His speech demonstrated exactly why he is the person to unite our party and our country.”
Mr Sunak is one of eight Conservative MPs who will today face the first in a run of votes by Tory MPs. In each one the person earning the lowest number of votes will be eliminated from the process. The winner from the final two will be decided by Conservative party members across the country.
Mrs Prentis told Banbury FM: “I’m backing Rishi Sunak to be Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister. He has the experience and vision to unite our party and country, rebuild our economy, and be a true leader on the world stage.
“Rishi is full of energy, hard-working and pragmatic. I was really impressed by his serious and competent work as Chancellor. Throughout the pandemic, his furlough scheme saved jobs and businesses across the UK. I think we would have been in a very different economic position now if he had not come up with this innovative solution.
“Rishi is someone I have known well for the past seven years. He has a very rural constituency, and I know he really understands the challenges facing an area such as ours.
“While I will be backing Rishi, we have a very strong field of candidates. I think it is important that we keep this contest as clean as we possibly can.”
Mr Sunak has been the bookies favourite to take over from Boris Johnson, but in the last couple of days the odds on Penny Mordaunt have shortened putting her neck and neck with Mr Sunak. Mrs Mordaunt, who is the Minister of State for Trade Policy, has received the support of South Northants MP Andrea Leadsom.
Mrs Leadsom said: “When selecting our next leader, it is so important that we pick someone who has the values, drive and conviction of their beliefs to move our county forward.
“Having worked with Penny over a number of years, I have absolutely no doubt she is the right person to unite the party and deliver on the mandate we have, which is why I am backing her to be our next Prime Minister.”
The winner of the leadership race is expected to be announced on September 5.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam