TORIES who are against Boris Johnson becoming their party leader and Prime Minister have stepped up their campaign.
Amber Rudd said she would think “very carefully” about getting a lift home with Johnson - as she blasted the frontrunner’s suggestion he could suspend Parliament to force a no-deal Brexit.
During the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign Rudd grabbed headlines when she described Johnson as the “life and soul of the party” but “not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening”.
And yesterday the Work and Pensions Secretary was asked by Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday whether she would now accept a lift home from him.
She replied: “I am still thinking very carefully about lifts home with Boris.”
Rudd’s comment about the Tory leadership frontrunner came as she hit out at plans floated by Johnson and fellow leadership candidate Dominic Raab to prorogue Parliament to prevent MPs bringing down the Government over a no-deal Brexit in October.
Rory Stewart, another contender, has said he would be willing to set up “an alternative parliament” if either of the pair tried the move.
Rudd, who is supporting Jeremy Hunt in the leadership contest, said: “Well, I’m not going to use the same colourful language as Rory but I certainly feel just as strongly as he does.
“It is a ridiculous suggestion to consider proroguing parliament, and for a start it would involve approaching the Queen and... nobody should consider doing that.
She added: “We may have our difficulties as MPs arriving at a decision. But the idea of involving the Queen is completely wrong.”
In a separate interview Stewart ruled out serving in any Johnson Cabinet.
The International Development Secretary had been accused of “flip-flopping” after he had earlier given apparently differing answers to whether he would serve under PM Johnson.
But pressed to give a final answer on the issue by the BBC’s Andrew Marr on yesterday, Stewart said: “I would not serve. I would not serve under a Boris Cabinet. I am not in this to be in the Cabinet.
“I am in the Cabinet already; I could just stay and keep my mouth shut.”
He added: “I want to change this country and I want to challenge and say there are two completely different visions facing this country: Boris’s vision and mine. His strategy on Europe and mine. His vision on the economics and mine. And the question is, who do you want to represent us?”
Also speaking on Marr, Hunt refused to commit to leaving the EU by the end of this year if he becomes PM - as he accused Johnson of an “at-any-cost” approach to Brexit.
The Foreign Secretary - who came second to Johnson in the first Conservative ballot of MPs - said he would not commit to a “31 October hard-stop-at-any-cost” Brexit if he wins the race to succeed Theresa May.
But he refused to put a timeframe on any further Brexit delay, saying no candidate could “sensibly answer” the question of how long might be needed to secure changes to the deal struck with the EU.
Hunt believes he would be able to get the EU to change the withdrawal deal it negotiated with May. However, the EU has insisted it will not re-open the negotiations or change the deal.
Meanwhile, Scottish Secretary David Mundell is backing Michael Gove in the next round of the Conservative leadership contest.
Mundell said the UK Environment Secretary has a “strong track record of supporting Scottish interests”.
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