Unite the right: Kemi urged to step aside from Tory poll as ERG backs Truss

15 July 2022, 00:23 | Updated: 15 July 2022, 06:04

Lord Frost has urged Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch to step aside for Liz Truss as the European Research Group (ERG) instructed its MPs to vote for the foreign secretary as the next Prime Minister.

The former Brexit minister urged Ms Badenoch to withdraw from the contest amid fears the vote could be split between the right wing candidates.

Writing in the Telegraph, Lord Frost said both candidates had "set out convincing programmes" but that Mr Truss was in the lead both in terms of votes and her "depth of experience, her energy and ideas".

He said Ms Badenoch should step down "in return for a serious job in the Truss administration".

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It came as the paper reported the 60-strong ERG was told by its chairman Mark Francois on Thursday night to vote for Ms Truss in the next ballot.

Mr Francois said the ERG agreed Suella Braverman and Liz Truss "stood out" among all other candidates and said they would rally behind whichever one of the two lasted the longest.

Ms Braverman was knocked out of the contest on Thursday afternoon.

She, too, has since announced her support for Ms Truss.

Ms Badenoch told LBC she was disappointed at Ms Braverman's decision on Thursday night, saying: "Suella and I are friends, I'm friends with Tom Tugendhat as well, Rishi and Liz were my senior ministers, so it's all very close to home.

"We're all friends, so every time someone supports one person there's another person that's been let down.

"But I'm in it to win it."

The second round of voting took place on Thursday.

Rishi Sunak came out top - as he did after the first vote on Wednesday - with 101 votes.

Penny Mordaunt secured second place with 83 votes, with Ms Truss in third with 64.

Ms Braverman, the current Attorney General, received just 27 votes.

Ms Badenoch got 49 and Tom Tugendhat came fifth with 32.

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Rishi Sunak, who remains the frontrunner, said he was "incredibly grateful" for the support of Tory MPs.

He tweeted: "I am incredibly grateful for the continued support from my colleagues and the wider public.

"I am prepared to give everything I have in service to our nation.

"Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite the country."

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The third round of voting will take place on Monday.

Voting will continue until only two contenders remain, at which point Tory party members will have the final say after a series of hustings over the summer.

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Ms Mordaunt has emerged as an unexpected favourite in the first week of the leadership contest.

Whilst Mr Sunak has topped the votes so far, a snap poll of Party members on Wednesday suggested the trade minister could be on track to beat him to the top spot if the final round was between them.

But Lord Frost also used his piece on Thursday night to say no government of hers could "succeed" and accused her of being "absent on parade" when they had last worked together.