Suella Braverman is now backing Liz Truss, as is Braverman’s campaign wing man Steve Baker. Given the discipline of the ERG whipping operation, this should mean that the bulk of Braverman’s 27 supporters move to Truss.
After being knocked out, Braverman had said she would consider Truss’s Remain vote in 2016. But, ultimately, that turned out not to be an obstacle for Braverman. Kemi Badenoch, a Brexiteer, was thought to be the other contender for the Braverman endorsement. She told Iain Dale tonight that she is ‘disappointed’ with the decision: ‘I know people are going to support the person most likely to give them a job… I’m trying to do something different.’
Truss is currently 19 votes behind Penny Mordaunt and so this endorsement – and the backing that will come with it – makes her more competitive. Much will now turn on the two TV debates over the weekend, do they give any candidate a boost?
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