PANICKED Jeremy Hunt launched a desperate bid to win over Matt Hancock and his backers after the Health Secretary pulled out of the Tory leadership race yesterday.
Senior MPs on the Foreign Secretary’s campaign team said securing Mr Hancock’s support was vital to save his leadership campaign after struggling to convince MPs who backed other failed campaigns.
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A senior MP on Mr Hunt’s team told The Sun: “It’s important we get him, we need to get some momentum now.”
But Mr Hancock is poised to snub his pleas and will spend the weekend weighing up whether to back front-runner Boris Johnson or Michael Gove.
A source close to him said: “It’s between Gove and Boris.”
Mr Hunt was even struggling to keep hold of his own backers. Sources told The Sun that at least one of his supporters was poised to jump ship to back Mr Javid.
Mr Hunt has also approached members of Andrea Leadsom’s camp with a vow to make Brexit Britain the “entrepreneurial capital of the west”.
One MP said: “I think Jeremy’s team are beginning to panic a bit given the people I’ve had calling me today.”
Mr Hancock was love-bombed by all remaining six campaigns after announcing yesterday that he was quitting the contest after picking up just 20 votes in Thursday’s first round of voting.
Sajid Javid is also desperate to win Mr Hancock’s backing but his team’s hard sell approach has “had the opposite effect,” according to one MP.
But it was Michael Gove’s team that was described as the most ferocious lobbyists in search of Mr Hancock’s vote.
And the Environment Secretary – who was brought up in Scotland – is poised to pick up the two Scottish Tory MPs who backed Mr Hancock in the first round – Andrew Bowie and Paul Masterton.
But at least three other backers said they were considering backing surprise performer Rory Stewart.
GIVING UP FOR NOW
Mr Hancock decided to withdraw from the race instead of risking being knocked out in the next round of voting on Tuesday.
An MP close to the Health Secretary said: “He’s young, he’s run a good campaign and had a real influence on domestic policies and Brexit. He’s ensured he’ll be one of the front-runners in the next Tory leadership contest.”
Announcing his decision at 11am yesterday morning, Mr Hancock said in a statement:
“I’m hugely grateful for the warm and enthusiastic support I’ve received throughout this campaign, and am proud of the way we managed to set the agenda by promoting new ideas to make people’s lives better.
“I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now.
“I have therefore decided to withdraw from this contest, and I will look for the best way to advance the values we fought for, of free enterprise, and an open, aspirational, free society, underpinned by an optimistic belief in the value of each individual person.”
In a TV interview yesterday after announcing his decision, Mr Hancock took a swipe at leadership contender Dominic Raab by showing off his socks that bore the message: “This is what a feminist looks like.”
Mr Raab was criticised last month for saying he wasn’t a feminist.
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