Roll up, roll up: the leadership game is afoot. Every Tory with a smidgen of ambition is out on manoeuvres, flashing their ankles like a Victorian courtesan. All the aspirant ‘big beasts’ are getting in on the act: Jeremy Hunt is doing interviews, Liz Truss is hosting drinks at 5 Hertford Street while Penny Mordaunt is getting glowing profiles too. Most privately expect to lose to the heir apparent, saintly Rishi Sunak, but hope in so doing that they grab a decent Cabinet post as a consolation prize.
But if the sinking SS Boris takes down all its crew, there is a chance that fearful Tories could turn to someone untainted by the ancien régime. Someone decent, moderate and sensible, who represents the best in British conservatism. And who could be more decent, moderate and sensible than persistent Boris critic, Tom Tugendhat? As chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee he’s clashed repeatedly with Johnson over issues like Huawei and Afghanistan, memorably denouncing the Kabul fiasco on the floor of the House of Commons back in August.
Over the years, Tugendhat has made no secret of his ambitions for the top job, saying in a 2017 interview that ‘Of course!’ he wants to be Prime Minister, adding ‘I bought a ticket so why wouldn’t I want to win the lottery?’ Mr S has watched with interest his interventions over recent months, including his public jibes at the Tory party conference. And it seems that Tugendhat has covered himself well for any future leadership bid, given his numerous appearances on the infamous ‘rubber chicken’ circuit at Conservative association fundraisers.
The Tonbridge backbencher certainly isn’t doing anything to quell such speculation that he will run, judging by his upcoming events. For Mr S has spotted that Tugendhat is due to address South Oxfordshire Tories in a fortnight’s time at a ‘late light lunch’ at which he is billed as ‘one of the up and coming Conservative MP’s of our era.’ The association notes, tantalising, that he is ‘currently’ serving as a mere backbencher – does that suggest greater things perhaps?
Let’s just hope they manage to spell the name of ‘Tugdenhat’ right, given it might soon be plastered on campaign materials everywhere…
Comments