BORIS Johnson’s hopes of winning the keys to No10 have been given a major boost after winning the backing of popular Tory Liz Truss.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Philip Hammond’s deputy – will become the first Cabinet-level minister to publicly endorse his leadership bid.
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She is poised to be unveiled as his most senior supporter yet, Sun columnist James Forsyth reveals today in today’s newspaper.
And Ms Truss will become the second Cabinet minister to declare who they are backing after Commons Leader Mel Stride, who is Michael Gove’s campaign manager.
She will be followed by a slew of other MPs backing him on Monday, which will put him ahead in the endorsement stakes.
It can also be revealed that Mr Johnson has “made peace” with several old enemies who had threatened to undermine him if he wins the race to replace Theresa May.
It is understood that various MPs have met him to say that while they won’t vote for him in the leadership contest, they would “accept” his leadership.
RUDD WON’T FOLLOW
But he has been dealt a blow after failing to win over the key backing of Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd.
Forsyth reveals that the pair met on Thursday but the leading Remainer sees their differences over Brexit policy as too great to form the kind of ‘dream ticket’ that Boris’s campaign team was pursuing.
She wanted Boris to budge on his pledge to leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal but the former Foreign Secretary refused.
Tory leadership candidates are desperate to win Ms Rudd’s endorsement. She heads the 60-strong caucus of Tory moderates – dubbed the ‘One Nation’ group.
Yesterday Ms Rudd sparked rumours she could eventually back Michael Gove after she praised him on Twitter.
She posted a picture of herself and the Environment Secretary visiting her constituency after agreeing government backing for her campaign to designate Beachy Head East a conservation zone to protect the coast from harmful fishing.
Boris has kept his leadership campaign under wraps for the last week but The Sun revealed yesterday that he is planning to go public with a social media campaign launch on Monday.
Sources claimed the plan is for a number of Tories to then come out and endorse the ex-Foreign Secretary to cement their man as the one to beat in the leadership contest.
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