Blow for Michael Gove as his deputy backs Jeremy Hunt in Tory leadership race

Michael Gove’s ministerial deputy has backed Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt for the Tory Leadership.

In a blow to the environment secretary, Robert Goodwill has said that Mr Hunt is the only person vying to replace Theresa May who he would “trust to lead us out of the EU and unite our party”.

Mr Goodwill has been Mr Gove’s number two at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since March.

But he wrote in a PoliticsHome article that he believes Mr Hunt is “the only candidate who has the experience and ability to square this circle, unite the party, and take the fight to Jeremy Corbyn”.

Jeremy Hunt warned against an ‘ultra-hardline‘ approach to Brexit talks (EPA)

He said: “We need a PM who is respected by world leaders and who has a credible plan to resolve the paralysis we find ourselves in.

“Jeremy’s plan for a new negotiating team that commands the support of Parliament and his credentials as a leader with a track record of delivering on tough negotiations means he’s the right person for the job.”

Mr Goodwill cited both the backing down of junior doctors and the Treasury fulfilling the £350m a week NHS referendum pledge as proof of Jeremy Hunt’s “delivery record”.

“What we need now is a Prime Minister who is a proven negotiator, tough enough to face up to those realities, that the EU will do business with, and who can actually deliver a deal that takes us out of the EU, that Parliament will agree to,” he continued.

“That leader needs a dynamic, reforming, and entrepreneurial Conservative vision that will unite the party and the country behind them and stop the Marxists from ever taking power.