Today, MPs and campaigns are accused of manipulating votes to advance their candidates, adding to the dirty tactics allegations swirling around the Tory leadership race.
There were rumours that Rishi Sunak’s followers could have voted for Liz Truss during today’s final round of political voting to ensure Kemi Badenoch was defeated.
The former equalities minister, who was viewed as a favourite by grassroots Conservatives, came in last in Wednesday night’s fourth round vote.
If she advanced to the final two, she would have defeated every other candidate in a head-to-head poll.
However, Tom Tugendhat’s supporters expressed surprise that so many MPs appeared to switch their support from the One Nation candidate to right-wingers Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt, who were eliminated before her.
The Foreign Secretary received 15 more votes on Tuesday, winning the support of 86 Conservative MPs.
Ms. Mordaunt raised her vote total by 10 to sit on 92, while Mr. Sunak got three more votes to move up to 118, just three votes short of the threshold that would have practically assured his passage to the final round.
However, one supporter of Tugendhat informed the Times that only seven MPs, at most, were endorsing Liz from our team.
There is something very, very unusual going on.’
Party members have disputed Team Sunak’s denials that they are gaming the system to influence his opponent in the run-off election.
It happened at a time when Liz Truss’s supporters pleaded with opposing factions not to “lend” votes to sway the Tory leadership vote.
After claiming to be running a “clean campaign,” Ms. Mordaunt came under fire for retweeting a columnist who predicted support for her opponents would “kill” the Conservative Party.
After Kemi Badenoch was eliminated from the race, Ms. Truss and Penny Mordaunt are vying for her supporters before they take on front-runner Rishi Sunak in the run-off.
With the right of the party appearing to be uniting around the Foreign Secretary, she enjoyed a surge of support in the last round, placing her within striking distance of Ms. Mordaunt.
Rishi Sunak was forewarned last night by Ms. Truss not to engage in “dirty backroom negotiations.”
Her supporters worry that the former chancellor’s team may attempt to “rig” today’s final vote in order to prevent him from competing against a Tory Right contender in the run-off selected by party members.
Her most recent achievement has made her the favourite to take on Mr. Sunak in a head-to-head contest to win a vote from Conservative members. The outcome of that contest will be made public on September 5.
Her supporters cited a YouGov poll that indicated she would easily defeat Mr. Sunak in a face-to-face contest by a margin of 54:35.
After Tom Tugendhat’s defeat the previous day freed up 31 votes, Ms. Truss picked up 15 votes to win the support of 86 Tory MPs on Tuesday.
Ms. Mordaunt raised her vote total by 10 to sit on 92, while Mr. Sunak got three more votes to move up to 118, just three votes short of the threshold that would have practically assured his passage to the final round.
Ms. Badenoch finished last on the ballot with 59 votes, and it was thought that Ms. Truss was more likely to receive those votes than Ms. Mordaunt.
Additionally, a former minister claimed that Mr. Sunak, whom he is supporting, would prefer to take on Miss Mordaunt.
The match between Rishi and Liz will be the most anticipated one, predicted Chris Skidmore. That will be a conflict of egos and ideas.
A Miss Truss ally stated that her team was working tirelessly to win over every vote, adding that the Tory Party had had enough of macho politics carried out in shady backroom dealings. Tomorrow, we don’t want to see that again.
Another source claimed that despite the fact that “there is still a lot of work to do,” Miss Truss was “in the driving seat.”
After being eliminated in yesterday’s vote, Kemi Badenoch, an outsider, is now a possible kingmaker.
Rival candidates were vying for her 59 followers, who were critical to their chances of winning.
Mrs. Badenoch is a member of the Tory Right, and at least 22 of her supporters, according to the Foreign Secretary’s team, are sympathetic to Miss Truss’s cause.
Leo Docherty, the defence minister, moved from Mrs. Badenoch to Miss Truss last night, saying: “I’ve seen at first hand her vast knowledge and solid judgement and know she has a credible plan.”
This was an early indication of success.
‘Now is the time for the party to unite behind a candidate who will rule in a Conservative way and who has demonstrated she can deliver time and time again,’ a Truss campaign spokesperson said.
“Liz has a bold new economic strategy that will instantly address the cost of living problem, increase economic growth, and continue to lead the international struggle for independence in Ukraine,” says the statement.
However, there are concerns that the election may be tainted by “vote lending” between the competing parties, with suspicions centred on Mr. Sunak’s campaign assistant Gavin Williamson.
Sir Gavin doesn’t have a formal function, according to Mr. Sunak’s staff, who also deny using dishonest techniques.
Senior Tories, though, claimed yesterday that Mr. Sunak’s backers were making a “concerted effort” to undermine the chances of the Foreign Secretary.
Supporter of Truss and Tory MP Steve Baker claimed that instead of striking deals, some MPs “sometimes vote tactically, which they are allowed to do.”
There is a determined attempt, in the opinion of one Conservative MP, to try to prevent Rishi and Liz from competing against one another in the final.
David Davis, a former cabinet minister, charged Mr. Sunak with aiding Miss Truss in her attempt to oust Miss Mordaunt.
He told LBC Radio that “there has certainly been some transfer of votes, probably from Rishi to Liz.”
Rishi just changed some allocations. He keeps his four or five chief whips in a boiler room where he may distribute them.
Liz is the one who will lose the dispute with him, thus he wants to fight her.
When questioned about any impropriety, a Sunak supporter MP responded, “We are encouraging every colleague who wants Rishi to win to vote for him.”
After the votes of moderate Tom Tugend that were redistributed, the outcome of yesterday’s election left the race extremely close, with Mr. Sunak picking up just three supporters.
As a result, he ended up on 118, far ahead of Miss Mordaunt, who gained support to climb to 92, and Miss Truss, who closed the gap on 86.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a former supporter of Tugendhat, came out in favour of Ms. Truss.