DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Why the Tory Right must come together
One thing was clear from last night’s third ballot in the Tory leadership election. Barring some cataclysmic event, Rishi Sunak will be one of the two names on the final shortlist.
As to who will join him there, nothing is settled. As Rishi’s momentum increased, Penny Mordaunt’s went into reverse, as she polled fewer votes this time than last.
However, despite grave doubts over her competence and radical views on gender identity, she remains in second place.
Liz Truss narrowed the gap, but will have hoped to do better. She didn’t, because the traditionalist Tory vote is dangerously split between her and Kemi Badenoch.
Liz Truss is the obvious choice, given her strong track record, and she is best placed to overtake Miss Mordaunt
Both women benefited evenly from the redistribution of Attorney General Suella Braverman’s support, who lost out in the last ballot. If those centre-Right votes had all gone to Miss Truss, she would now be neck and neck with Miss Mordaunt with the wind in her sails.
Instead, it’s possible Miss Mordaunt might yet cling on, leaving the membership with two social and economic liberals and no true blue Tory to choose from.
Traditionalist MPs must wise up and coalesce behind one candidate. Miss Truss is the obvious choice, given her strong track record, and she is best placed to overtake Miss Mordaunt.
If the members are denied the option of electing a true low-tax, small-state Conservative, they will smell a cynical Westminster fix. And they’ll be right.
Incomparable Boris
The morning after Boris Johnson’s defenestration, our front-page headline asked: What the hell have they done?
Yesterday, as he crushed his puny critics with customary wit and eloquence in what could be his final Commons appearance as PM, many voters will have been asking exactly the same question.
The Conservative Party has cravenly betrayed its most charismatic and electable leader since Lady Thatcher. We can only pray that the price is not a disastrous Starmer-led government in 2024.
Hot under the collar
A two-day heatwave and the country goes into blind panic. Trains cancelled, schools closed (as if children hadn’t lost enough education already) and nannying officials telling us to stay indoors.
Listening to apocalyptic climate change pundits and the BBC, you’d think Britain was about to spontaneously combust.
On Radio 4, presenter Katya Adler’s first question to a bemused minister was: ‘Do you agree with the UK Health Security Agency that thousands could die?’
In two days? It’s true that the temperature may top 40C for the first time today, but it’s been 38.7C before without such carnage.
And looking at the BBC’s own weather forecast for southern Britain, the temperature is set to fall tomorrow and not to rise above the mid-20s centigrade for the rest of the month.
In parts of Tuscany, Andalusia and Provence it’s going to be around 40C every day for the next week, yet British tourists will still no doubt be flocking there. Will they stay in their rooms all week?
Naturally most of those who want to lock down during hot spells are in the public sector. Unlike private firms and employees, they’ll still get paid.
Of course we shouldn’t be complacent about intense heat. But the risk must be kept in perspective. Our summers can be hot – sometimes very hot.
To bring the country to a halt every time the mercury spikes is a wild over-reaction.
With common sense precautions, plenty of fluid, shade and sunscreen, there’s no reason why people should die – and certainly not in their thousands. Whatever happened to keep calm and carry on?
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