Accusations of “disloyalty” aimed at Rishi Sunak are “unnecessary” and the Tory leadership race should focus on who would make the best prime minister, Sajid Javid said after backing Liz Truss.
Sources close to Mr Sunak’s camp fear the “Boris traitor” narrative is rubbing off on Tory members as the former chancellor faces criticism for his role in ousting Mr Johnson from power.
But Mr Javid, whose decision to quit as health secretary the same night Mr Sunak stepped down also contributed to the end of Mr Johnson’s premiership, hit back at criticism of his old cabinet colleague .
He said the Tory leadership race had at times been “a bit bruising” and “unpleasant” and that the contest should be fought on policy ideas, with each candidate making their “best case for why they should be leader”.
Mr Javid, who last night announced his support for Ms Truss in the No 10 race, was asked during an interview with Radio Times if he thought he had been “disloyal” given that he had also submitted resignation from office.
He was also asked how he felt about criticism of Mr Sunak.
He said: “The first thing I would say, the race itself, was it kind of, shall we say unpleasantly, a bit bruising at times? It was, and I think that kind of, wherever that came from, is not necessary.
“People need to compete on their policies and make their best case for why they should be leaders.
“As I said, I respect both candidates, they are incredibly talented, but I have to make a choice and my choice is clear.”
Mr Javid said that when he resigned as health secretary he did not expect “approximately 60 colleagues to follow”.
Trot will “unite the party”
The former Tory leader candidate said “now it’s all about looking forward, having the right leader in place”.
“I think Liz is best placed to bring the party together, fix the economy and beat Labor at the next election,” he said.
The accusation that Mr Sunak has “stabbed Boris in the back” is seen as a major challenge for him to overcome in the leadership race.
He was openly challenged for his perceived disloyalty to the Prime Minister by angry members of the audience at the opening of two fights in Leeds and Exeter.
A Conservative minister who is a close ally of Mr Sunak said the feeling around his resignation was a “big problem” that had “led to a campaign that was not optimal”.
The minister told The Telegraph: “It’s certainly a narrative that has some popularity among members, and the old problem is that he who holds the knife never wears the crown.”
A YouGov poll of Conservative Party members published earlier this week found that more than half believed ministers and MPs were wrong to remove Johnson.
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