Nadine Dorries mocks Rishi Sunak over £3.5k suit as MP slams 'embarrassing' Tory race

25 July 2022, 12:47

Liz Truss backer Nadine Dorries has mocked Tory leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak for his expensive taste after he was pictured in a £3,500 suit.

The Culture Secretary tweeted about reports that the millionaire ex-Chancellor had been pictured wearing a £3,500 suit ahead of a crunch vote and £490 Prada loafers on a visit to a building site.

In a blatant jibe at Mr Sunak she said Ms Truss was more likely to be seen wearing £4.50 earrings from high street chain Claire's Accessories.

Her swipe at the former chancellor was criticised by a number of Tories, with Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer saying the contest had become "embarrassing".

Ms Truss and Mr Sunak are currently in a race to secure the backing of Tory Party members, who will vote to decide the next Conservative leader and, as a result, the next prime minister.

Mr Sunak was seen wearing a Henry Herbert suit - worth a reported £3,500 - ahead of the vote which saw him and Ms Truss selected by Tory MPs last Friday.

Read more: Voters think Sunak would be better PM than Truss, new poll shows

His choice of Prada shoes on a visit to a construction site in Redcar also caught Ms Dorries' attention.

She wrote on Twitter: "⁦Liz Truss will be travelling the country wearing her earrings which cost circa £4.50 from Claire Accessories. Meanwhile… Rishi visits Teeside in Prada shoes worth £450 and sported £3,500 bespoke suit as he prepared for crunch leadership vote."

Guildford MP Angela Richardson, a supporter of Mr Sunak, shot back at the Culture Secretary: "FFS (for f***'s sake) Nadine! Muted."

While Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer said the leadership contest was embarrassing.

He warned that "on current trajectory" the party would be out of power in two years' time.

Read more: James O'Brien destroys government's 'crisis of intelligence' over Brexit

"The puerile nature of this leadership contest is embarrassing," he said. "Time to raise the standards."

It's proved to be a bitter battle for the Tory leadership crown in recent days, with supporters of each candidate taking swipes at their rival.

A recent poll by Opinium suggests voters believe that Rishi Sunak would make a better prime minister than Liz Truss.

However, 45 per cent see Mr Sunak as a "bad" prime minister, versus 41 per cent for Ms Truss.

It also reveals that 34 per cent want a prime minister who is in touch with ordinary people, while the same proportion want someone who is trustworthy.

In good news for Mr Sunak, voters gave him the highest net score for competence at +9 per cent.

But he also polled -17 per cent on trustworthiness and -38 per cent on "being out of touch".