SIR JOHN REDWOOD has said he wants to hear from his Wokingham constituents as to who he should back in the forthcoming Conservative leadership election.
It comes after Liz Truss resigned on Thursday, just six weeks after she took over from Boris Johnson, who had to resign after more than 50 of his colleagues said they could no longer serve him.
Despite being under investigation by the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, being fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a law-breaking covid party, and being heavily criticised in Sue Gray’s report into the conduct of Downing Street staff during covid lockdowns, Mr Johnson is one of the potential candidates for the party’s new leader.
Bracknell MP James Sunderland, who at the time of writing had yet to declare which candidate he would support, was among those who resigned his role.
In a blog post earlier this week, Sir John wrote of the need to ignore ‘so-called grown-ups’ when the party chose its new leader.
“The members should look for someone with Conservative views and reject the idea that we want a so called grown up who will do everything the establishment and the international institutions tell them,” he wrote.
“The establishment gave us the inflation and now seem determined to give us a recession. Why trust them?”
Now, he says he is seeking views.
“I continue to consult on who my constituents would like to see as the next PM,” he wrote on his blog.
“The Wokingham Conservative Association has also consulted and is letting me know the balance of opinion amongst members who of course have a vote in any final ballot assuming there are two candidates with more than 100 MPs backing them.
“I am also seeking the views of the candidates on various matters of importance.”
Sir John was critical of Rishi Sunak in the last leadership race, instead supporting Liz Truss.
Some people commenting on his blog named Sir John as their preferred choice for the next prime minister – echoing his own leadership challenge in 1995.
Others felt Penny Mordaunt was a high-quality candidate, Rishi Sunak was given a cautious vote by others, and the third line of thought is that Boris Johnson could be the choice.
