Merseyside's only Conservative MP has announced who he is backing to become the next Prime Minister.
The process of the Conservative Party selecting its next leader has begun, with nine MPs putting their hat into the ring to succeed Boris Johnson. Having lost the confidence of his cabinet, Mr Johnson resigned on Thursday (July 7) but said he will remain in post as caretaker until the next leader is elected.
Rishi Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt and Liz Truss are among the names touted to become the next PM. However, Damien Moore, MP for Southport, has announced that he is supporting Tom Tugendhat's leadership campaign.
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In a statement sent to the ECHO, Mr Moore said: "I'm backing Tom Tugendhat as he's a fresh face for a clean start. Restoring integrity, building a strong team, tackling the cost of living crisis and levelling up - are all things which I believe Tom can deliver for the whole UK."
Mr Tugendhat, who has been MP for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015 and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017, announced his candidacy in The Telegraph on Thursday (July 7). He wrote: "My view is clear – the Conservative Party must be a broad church that anyone can find their home in, whether young or old, northern or southern, renter or owner.
"We must show leadership and conviction on our Conservative values and their ability to enrich lives across every part of the country. If we cannot then we are nothing."
Pledging to provide a fresh start for the party, Mr Tugendhat said that he would work to reduce taxes, a more "serious" approach on tackling crime, build the strength of the armed forces, and ensure that the economy is "competitive, low-tax, high-growth".
At the time of writing, nine Conservative MP s have put themselves forward to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. They are: Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt, Nadhim Zahawi and Tom Tugendhat. Liz Truss is also expected to stand, but she has not yet entered the race formally.
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