By Robert Haile
After PM Liz Truss announced her resignation on October 20, becoming the shortest serving Prime Minister.
The 1922 Committee Chairman Sir Graham Brady declared the Party Leadership contest would be completed on Friday October 28 ready for the fiscal plan to be announced on October 31.
It now appears that there are three runners with Cumbria’s Conservative MPs all picking different candidates to back.
Workington MP Mark Jenkinson has taken a different approach to the leadership contest compared to the others by launching a survey.
The Workington MP put the candidates he thought would stand, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Ben Wallace and an option to add an other who people wanted.
At the moment Boris Johnson is leading with Rishi Sunak second and Penny Mordaunt third of the announced runners.
Copeland MP Trudy Harrison came out early in support of the ousted Boris Johnson, before he announced he will run for PM again.
Taking to Facebook to say: “It’s deeply disappointing to be in this situation once again. My hope this time is that we recognise who the public voted for by such a strong majority in 2019.
“I’ve joined with colleagues to echo the words
“BringBackBoris
“And I very much hope he decides to stand.”
John Stevenson Carlisle MP is supporting Rishi Sunak along with Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell who said on Twitter: “Experience would suggest that my endorsement is a guarantee of failure.”
Having backed Sunak in the last contest Fell continued: “And so I offer my apologies to @RishiSunak. He’s a serious, tested, honest, and competent leader with vision. And I very much hope our next PM.
“ReadyForRishi (again)”
At the time of publishing Sunak is the only candidate to reach the threshold to stand for PM.
Dr Neil Hudson is going for a fourth female PM with Penny Mordaunt saying: “I am backing Penny Mordaunt MP to be Prime Minister as I believe she has the leadership attributes, experience, empathy and compassion to unite our country and lead us through these challenging times.
“PM4PM”
This comes with the back drop of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties calling for a General Election.
While the only none Conservative seat, Liberal Democrat held Westmorland and Lonsdale their MP Tim Farron joined the calls for a General Election having been on the doorsteps.
It would be up to the next Conservative Party Leader whether to call an election as under current UK law they would have to call one before January 2025.
THE HERDWICK NEWS 