Minister tries to quash rumours of plot to oust Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak will lead the Tories into the next general election, the transport secretary insisted, amid reports of a plot to oust the prime minister.
Mark Harper dismissed speculation some Conservative rebels want the prime minister to be replaced with Commons leader Penny Mordaunt.
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Asked on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if Mr Sunak will still be leader at the next election, Mr Harper said: “Yes he will.
“And he’ll take us into that election and he’ll set out very clearly that we’re a government with a plan.”
Asked on the rumours about Ms Mordaunt, he said his colleagues should focus on what is “right for the country”.
“That is the approach that the prime minister takes as well,” he added.
“He focuses on making the right decisions, even if in the short term they’re not necessarily popular…. I’m confident those decisions will pay off.”
Replacing Mr Sunak would involve imposing a sixth prime minister on the country since the 2010 general election, and the third without going to the polls.
Ms Mordaunt has herself shot down speculation she is involved in a plot to become the next Tory leader, telling Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby the idea is “nonsense” and “the public are rather tired of these stories”.
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt
One of her backers also called the reports a “made up briefing”.
With the Tories languishing behind Labour by around 20 points in the polls – and many senior MPs at risk of losing their seats – there has long been speculation about Mr Sunak’s position.
Reports in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph over the weekend had suggested MPs on the right of the party met moderates this week to discuss uniting behind Ms Mordaunt if the prime minister faces a no confidence vote.
It followed a difficult fortnight for Mr Sunak, in which he came under fire over his handling of racist comments reportedly made by a major party donor, and the defection of Lee Anderson – who Mr Sunak had promoted to Tory deputy chairman – to the right-wing populist Reform UK party.
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Some Tories were also angry at the perceived lack of giveaways in Jeremy Hunt’s budget, saying he should have cut income tax rather than national insurance.
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Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said Mr Sunak could put the rumours of a leadership change to bed himself if he named the date of the general election.
He told Sky News: “There’s Tory MPs who are in the papers today saying Rishi Sunak can’t continue.
“This is not in the national interest anymore. It is irresponsible. We need stability in this country.
“He could stabilise this by calling, naming the date of a general election. Otherwise, I fear we may have a Tory leadership election ahead of a general election.”
The latest date the next election can be held is January 2025, though Mr Sunak has said his “working assumption” is that he will call it in the second half of this year.
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Labour stages ‘Sunak chicken’ stunt
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Labour MPs have called the prime minister a “chicken” for ruling out an election on 2 May, to coincide with local elections.
Some pundits had speculated Mr Sunak could go early to stave off plans to overthrow him, reap any benefits from the spring budget and avoid a rise in Channel crossings over the summer.
However Mr Harper said reports there could have been a snap election in May were “nonsense”.
“The prime minister made it quite clear at the beginning of the year that his working assumption was the election was going to be at the end of the year.
“So all this sort of froth we’ve had about an election being in May was always nonsense frankly, and he made that clear at the beginning of the year.”
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Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce a new form of mandatory National Service for young people if the Conservatives win the general election.
In the first new policy announcement of the campaign, the prime minister has unveiled a plan that would see 18-year-olds given the choice of a full-time military placement for 12 months or a scheme to volunteer for one weekend a month for a year.
The placement would be selective – with tests used to decide who is eligible – and involve working with the armed forces or in cyber defence.
The voluntary option would see young people spending 25 days with organisations such as the police, the fire service, the NHS, or charities that work with older isolated people.
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Mr Sunak said the new model would provide “life-changing opportunities for young people” and allow them to learn “real world skills”.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the PM said: “To those who complain that making it mandatory is unreasonable, I say: citizenship brings with it obligations as well as rights. Being British is about more than just the queue you join at passport control.”
The Tory party has also suggested National Service would cut crime, saying research shows volunteering can increase social responsibility.
The specifics of the plan would be established through a new Royal Commission – a type of advisory committee set up to investigate significant issues.
Conservative sources said that the commission would look at possible non-criminal sanctions for any teenagers who refused to take part in National Service.
Details such as exemptions from the scheme would also be established through this body.
National Service came into force in January 1949, and meant all physically fit males aged between 17 and 21 had to serve in one of the armed forces for an 18-month period, with the period lengthened in 1950 to two years.
It ended in 1960, though the last national servicemen were discharged in 1963.
The Conservatives estimate the programme would cost £2.5bn a year by 2029/30 funded with cash previously used for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and by cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion.
Responding, a Labour Party spokesperson said the announcement was “desperate” adding: “This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the Armed Forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.”
Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce a new form of mandatory National Service for young people if the Conservatives win the general election.
In the first new policy announcement of the campaign, the prime minister has unveiled a plan that would see 18-year-olds given the choice of a full-time military placement for 12 months or a scheme to volunteer for one weekend a month for a year.
The placement would be selective – with tests used to decide who is eligible – and involve working with the armed forces or in cyber defence.
The voluntary option would see young people spending 25 days with organisations such as the police, the fire service, the NHS, or charities that work with older isolated people.
General election latest: Details of Sunak’s helicopter travel revealed
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
PM laughs off washout election launch
Mr Sunak said the new model would provide “life-changing opportunities for young people” and allow them to learn “real world skills”.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the PM said: “To those who complain that making it mandatory is unreasonable, I say: citizenship brings with it obligations as well as rights. Being British is about more than just the queue you join at passport control.”
The Tory Party has also suggested National Service would cut crime, saying research shows volunteering can increase social responsibility.
The specifics of the plan would be established through a new Royal Commission – a type of advisory committee set up to investigate significant issues.
Conservative sources said that commission would look at possible non-criminal sanctions for any teenagers who refused to take part in National Service.
Details such as exemptions from the scheme would also be established through this body.
National Service came into force in January 1949, and meant all physically fit males aged between 17 and 21 had to serve in one of the armed forces for an 18-month period, with the period lengthened in 1950 to two years.
It ended in 1960, though the last national servicemen were discharged in 1963.
The Conservatives estimate the programme would cost £2.5bn a year by 2029/30 funded with cash previously used for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and by cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion.
Responding, a Labour Party spokesperson said the announcement was “desperate” adding: “This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the Armed Forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.”
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