Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

A nasty Tory leadership battle favours one person: Theresa May

Even by the standards of Westminster politics, yesterday’s developments will be remembered for a long time. But meanwhile, in the short-term, Michael Gove’s decision to launch his own campaign – and Boris’ subsequent move to drop out – favours only one person in the Tory leadership race: Theresa May. The Home Secretary made her pitch as the quieter candidate who would just get on with the job. Amidst the noise of what looks set to be a nasty leadership campaign, that strategy already seems to be paying off.

This morning, May has won the backing of the Daily Mail. The paper described yesterday as one of the most ‘unedifying days in modern politics’. It went on to say that the Tory party was ‘in flames’ before saying that, in their view, there was only one candidate for the job: Theresa May. It says that ‘only Mrs May has the right qualities, the stature and experience to unite both her party and the country’.

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