Tories are rushing to take sides in the race to become the new Prime Minister after Rishi Sunak declared he has set his sights on the top job. Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch is the latest to throw her hat into the ring, with a plan for a smaller state and a government “focused on the essentials”.
The MP for Saffron Walden said she supported lower taxes “to boost growth and productivity, and accompanied by tight spending discipline”. Writing in The Times, she also hit out at “identity politics” and said Boris Johnson was “a symptom of the problems we face, not the cause of them”.
MP for North East Derbyshire, Lee Rowley, said he was backing Ms Badenoch. Meanwhile, former minister Steve Baker has backed Attorney General Suella Braverman’s campaign – despite previously saying he was seriously considering putting himself forward for the top job.
