A number of big names have gone public with their support for Liz Truss in the past two weeks, with announcements carefully timed by her campaign strategists at opportune moments to grab the headlines.
But to maintain momentum in the coming weeks as the new policies die out, the foreign secretary’s team wants to go even further by overturning those who have already declared support for her Conservative leadership rival Rishi Sunak.
They hope to further destroy the already shaky morale of his camp by persuading MPs to back a winner, pointing to Truss’ unassailable lead in multiple opinion polls.
But the more her chances of becoming prime minister grow, the less will be the rewards for those who abandon ship and are accused of rank opportunism.
The most desired endorsements are those of other leadership contenders, given the attention they attract and the fact that they often lead their allies as well.
Penny Mordaunt stole the show at the second Exeter shows, taking to the stage to introduce and support Truss. However, some of her supporters felt betrayed and did not follow suit, blaming the Foreign Secretary’s team for a series of blips that left Mordaunt off the members’ ballot with potentially just four MP votes.
Earlier in the race, Tom Tugendhat was waiting with open arms to welcome Truss at a campaign event held at a military base. A backbencher a few weeks ago but now considered a heavyweight as he comes fifth in the Tory leadership race, his support has been crucial in attracting other One Nation MPs.
Another useful endorsement for Truss came in the form of Sajid Javid, who, despite having to withdraw from the race in the early stages after failing to garner enough nominations, has served in several cabinet posts. The sting of his disdain for Sunak, his friend and former protégé at the Treasury Department, had the Truss team rubbing their hands with glee.
After seizing most of the cabinet – Defense Secretary Ben Wallace; the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng and loyalists of Boris Johnson in chief such as Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg – there is still one former leadership contender who has yet to throw his support.
Kemi Badenoch, touted as a rising star by the right-wing Tories, has been courted but has so far kept her powder dry.
A Truss ally complained that if Badenoch didn’t “overdo it, that might decide it [whether] she gets a job in the office”. They said other MPs had to endure media tours criticizing Truss on her behalf, adding: “You’d be mortified if someone who couldn’t be bothered parachuted straight to the top.”
Sunak failed to win major new endorsements, as all seven of his cabinet supporters showed up early in the campaign. His latest supporters include mostly the old guard – former Tory leaders such as William Hague and Michael Howard, as well as Thatcher-era ministers, including her chancellor Nigel Lawson.
Given the way the race is shaping up, several avowed Sunak supporters said they were quietly encouraged by the Truss team to switch sides.
At the start of the leadership race I was rooting for Rishi but as it has come to pass there is only one person to bring the country and the party together and that is Liz Truss! +
— James Evans MS (@JamesEvansMS) August 3, 2022
James Evans, a Conservative member of the Senedd in Wales, said after this week’s battles in Cardiff that he had initially backed Sunak, “but as this has happened there is only one person who can bring the country and the party together and that is Liz Truss “.
Pictured beaming next to her in the post announcing his decision, Evans has not tweeted any previous expressions of support for Sunak. And an ally of the former chancellor insisted he “never supported us”.
Another source from Sunak’s team accused Truss of trying “desperately” to win over supporters. “It’s the only way she’s going to keep the momentum going, and it’s going to be toxic for us,” they sighed. “It’s a sucking momentum.”
“If someone switches, it won’t be because they’ve changed their mind, it’s because they’ve lost their temper and hit a valve,” said a third.
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The Truss campaign claims they are simply trying to prepare for the end of a race that has sparked damaging blue-on-blue attacks.
About two dozen Truss supporters will sign a letter published later this week stressing the need for the party to unite as Sunak’s team grows increasingly irritated and seeks to deal more blows to her in a bid to avoid him to look like a loser in waiting.
One MP, who refused to back either candidate, predicted that there would soon be “rats leaving the sinking ship”.
But even if Truss manages to gain a few more points over Sunak by flipping supporters, she will inherit a troubled party.
“She may have associations on board, but she will suffer the same fate as [former Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn will not be able to control the parliamentary party,” warned another Tory source, who has yet to be named. “She can win this battle, but not the war.”
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