Cabinet minister James Brokenshire urges Tory leadership no-hopers to quit race
2 min read
A Cabinet minister will today urge Tory leadership rivals who have no hope of winning to pull out of the race.
Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in London, Communities Secretary James Brokenshire will send a stark message to colleagues putting themselves up for the top job, after the number of contenders grew to 13.
He is expected to warn the Tories they "simply do not have any time to waste” and reiterate he will not be competing for the premiership himself.
Mr Brokenshire will add: “We simply do not have the luxury of weeks of navel gazing or days and days of whittling candidates down to the final two and talking to ourselves.
“So I say gently to some of my colleagues who have put themselves forward for what has been described as the Grand National of Political Contests. Please think carefully.
“If you already know it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to get over the first fence, let alone Becher's Brook ahead, then maybe you should pull up. There is no embarrassment in that.”
The race is expected to stretch until shortly before the summer recess in late July, with multiple rounds of voting by MPs to choose a shortlist of two, which then gets put to the Tory membership.
Mr Brokenshire will argue that delivering the split from the EU should be the “overriding need” with the 31 October Brexit deadline fast approaching.
He will say: “This is a dangerous moment not just for the Conservative party, but for our democracy, our politics and the country as a whole. We need to deliver Brexit - full stop. No equivocation. No ifs, no buts…
“And we must, absolutely must, address the need for reconciliation and unity in a divided nation, underlining that despite everything, there is still so much that we have in common, so much more that unites us than divides and which celebrates the rich diversity that represents the country we are.
“In short we need to set out a new contract for a modern Britain. A new deal with the British people.”
Mr Brokenshire will also use his speech to share ideas for the next leader to shake-up the housing market, such as reforming regulations on deposits for first-time buyers.
He will say rules should be changed so that people can use part of their pension pot to secure their first home.
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