Boris who? It’s Penny Mordaunt and her ‘clean record’ Labour fears the most, the party’s MPs claim
- Penny Mordaunt is the Tory leader Labour fears most, according to some MPs
- They pointed at the Commons Leader’s ‘clean record’ compared with her rivals
- ‘Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are known quantities and damaged goods’
Penny Mordaunt is the Tory leader Labour fears most, some of Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs claimed tonight.
They said the Commons Leader’s ‘clean record’ compared with her closest rivals would pose the biggest threat to Labour winning a large majority at the next election.
One Shadow Cabinet member said that unlike Ms Mordaunt, ‘Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are known quantities and damaged goods’.
But the Labour frontbencher mocked the Tory MPs for not giving enough backing to the contender Sir Keir’s party feared the most. He said: ‘It seems extraordinary that the biggest threat to Labour is the candidate struggling to get support from MPs.
‘It’s like the Conservative Party have just giving up on winning.’
Penny Mordaunt is the Tory leader Labour fears most, some of Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs claimed tonight
Separately, one North of England Labour MP suggested that despite her southern roots, Ms Mordaunt – who was born in Devon and is a Portsmouth MP – could fare better in the Red Wall than Mr Johnson.
He said: ‘Boris’s appeal has faded up here, while Penny would be a fresh face.’
Allies of the Commons Leader also suggested her northern appeal was illustrated by a focus group for a think-tank, More In Common, held in Oldham on Friday.
Asked which animal the three main leadership contenders reminded them of, Tory voters suggested ‘a sloth’ for Mr Johnson, ‘a snake’ for Mr Sunak but a ‘lion’ or ‘labrador’ for Ms Mordaunt.
Northern Labour MPs insisted Mr Johnson’s failure to deliver his ‘levelling-up’ promises would cost him votes, and given the financial situation he could never fulfil those pledges.
However, other Labour MPs insisted that Mr Johnson still posed the greater threat because of his formidable campaigning skills and ‘recognition factor’.
One said: ‘The Boris appeal still works with some voters.
‘Not as many as at the landslide in 2019, but some of it is still there.’
One Labour frontbencher conceded that Mr Sunak’s ‘dull, bank manager’ image resembled Sir Keir’s own, adding: ‘You could say Rishi as PM would take away Keir’s unique selling point.’
But he also said that such was the hole the Tories had dug for themselves that none of the three would-be PMs could save the Tories.
Last night, Labour said: ‘It doesn’t matter who is the latest person through this Tory revolving door.
‘What matters is that the public have a say on who the next PM is, which is why we are calling for a general election now.’
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