A SUSSEX MP has backed Penny Mordaunt to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.
Mims Davies, MP for Mid Sussex, said that the trade minister would be a “positive force of change” for the party and the country should she win the race to replace Boris Johnson.
The former employment minister said: “After considering the excellent group of candidates to be our new PM and leader of the Conservatives, I voted for Penny Mordaunt.
“I believe wholeheartedly that she’s a positive force for change with an exciting mix of ideas and vision for both the country and our party.”
Ms Davies resigned as employment minister earlier this month in protest at continued scandals by Boris Johnson “overshadowing” work from government departments.
In a scathing letter to the Prime Minister, she said: “I have no confidence in your leadership and I ask you to consider your position for the sake of the country and party.”
Penny Mordaunt - the MP for Portsmouth North and a Royal Naval reservist, has received a barrage of fire from allies of foreign secretary Liz Truss.
Strong opinion polling has buoyed Ms Mordaunt’s campaign in recent days, pushing her into the status of bookmakers’ favourite to become the next Conservative leader and Prime Minister.
However, former Brexit minister Lord Frost dealt a scathing attack on Ms Mordaunt in an interview on TalkTV.
He said: “She was my deputy - notionally, more than really - in the Brexit talks last year. I felt she did not master the detail that was necessary in the negotiations last year.
“She wouldn’t always deliver tough messages to the European Union when that was necessary.”
Ms Davies is the second Sussex Conservative MP to back Ms Mordaunt for the leadership, joining Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell.
Lewes MP Maria Caulfield and Chichester MP Gillian Keegan have announced they are backing Rishi Sunak.
After previously backing Jeremy Hunt, Sir Peter Bottomley has endorsed Tom Tugendhat for the leadership contest.
Meanwhile, Crawley MP Henry Smith will have to look for a new candidate to back after Suella Braverman was eliminated in the latest round of voting.
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