Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, has not ruled out a run for leadership of the Conservative Party if Rishi Sunak quits following the general election.
Asked if he wanted to be leader, he told Times Radio: “What I want to do is to make sure we’ve got a Conservative leader in this country and that’s why I’m supporting Rishi Sunak.
“Because the alternative with Keir Starmer, I’m afraid, is higher taxes, more regulation, worse growth and more unemployment.
“What we need to do is to make sure that Conservatives across this country win their seats and that’s exactly what I’ve been focused on.”
Pressed again on what happens after the election, he said: “Well, we’ll deal with hypotheticals in a different way.
“I mean, the reality is Rishi Sunak is the candidate, there’s only two candidates for prime minister, there’s Rishi Sunak and there’s Sir Keir Starmer.
“One of them is committed to lowering your taxes, protecting your borders and making a difference in everybody’s lives. The other, I’m afraid, is Sir Keir Starmer who is committed to raising your taxes, to making life a little bit harder for everybody and to lecturing you on how to live your life.”
