Denying that Rishi Sunak had stabbed Boris Johnson in the back when he resigned from the cabinet last week, Richard Holden, a Conservative MP for the Red Wall, defended the former chancellor’s decision to withdraw support for the prime minister.
He also denied that there was any question about Mr Sunak’s integrity.
“He has been very direct throughout this situation. He has supported the Prime Minister for the last two years, through some very difficult decisions about Covid,” Holden said.
He also downplayed some suggestions, reported by polls, that Mr Sunak is deeply unpopular among Conservative party members, compared to other lesser-known candidates.
“I think it’s very easy to project what you want into someone you don’t know so well.”
“Over time, things develop and you start thinking about what’s realistic, what’s the good of the country.”
He continued: “I think it will really start to connect and hopefully we can step away and offer a positive outlook instead of these conservative versus conservative attacks, which I really don’t like.”