Accusations of “disloyalty” targeted at Rishi Sunak are “not necessary” and the Tory leadership race should focus on who would be the best prime minister, Sajid Javid has said after he backed Liz Truss.
Sources close to Mr Sunak’s camp fear the “Boris betrayer” narrative is cutting through with Tory members as the former chancellor faces criticism for his role in ousting Mr Johnson from power.
But Mr Javid, whose decision to quit as health secretary on the same evening that Mr Sunak stepped down also contributed to the end of Mr Johnson’s premiership, has spoken out against the criticism directed at his old Cabinet colleague.
He said the Tory leadership race has at times been “a bit bruising” and “unpleasant”, and that the contest should be fought on policy ideas, with each candidate putting “their best case forward about why they should be the leader”.
Mr Javid, who last night declared his support for Ms Truss in the race for No 10, was asked during an interview on Times Radio if he believed he had been “disloyal” given he too had resigned from the Cabinet.
He was also asked how he felt about the criticism of Mr Sunak.
He said: “The first thing I’d say, the contest itself, at some times, has it been, sort of, let’s say unpleasant, a bit bruising? It has been and I think that that kind of, wherever that comes from that is not necessary.
“People should compete on their policies and put their best case forward about why they should be the leader.
“As I say, I respect both candidates, they are incredibly talented, but I have got to make a choice and my choice is clear.”
Mr Javid said that when he resigned as health secretary he had not expected “60 colleagues or so would follow afterwards”.
Truss will 'unite the party'
The former Tory leadership candidate said that “now it is all about looking forward, about having the right leader in place”.
“I think Liz is best placed to unite the party, to fix the economy and to beat Labour at the next election,” he said.
The accusation that Mr Sunak “stabbed Boris in the back” is seen as a major challenge that he has to overcome in the leadership race.
He was openly challenged on his perceived disloyalty towards the Prime Minister by angry audience members at the opening two hustings in Leeds and Exeter.
A Conservative minister, who is a close ally of Mr Sunak, said the feeling around his resignation was “a big problem” that has “led to a campaign that has been suboptimal”.
The minister told The Telegraph: “It's certainly a narrative that has got a bit of traction amongst members, and it's the old problem that he who wields the knife never wears the crown.”
A YouGov survey of Conservative Party members published earlier this week found that more than half believed ministers and MPs were wrong to oust Mr Johnson.
