Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg have announced that they are backing Liz Truss’s campaign to be the next prime minister.
The Boris Johnson loyalists have identified the foreign secretary as the most likely candidate to beat Rishi Sunak.
Supporters of the outgoing prime minister see the former chancellor as a traitor who has been plotting his leadership bid for months.
In a further boost for Truss, education secretary James Cleverly also announced this morning that he was backing her.
In a clear dig at Sunak’s record as chancellor, he described her as the “low tax high growth candidate” in the leadership race.
Both Rees-Mogg and Dorries mulled launching their own leadership bids, but ultimately decided to throw their weight behind Truss.
They announced their support for Truss outside 10 Downing Street following this morning’s cabinet meeting.
Dorries said Truss was “a stronger Brexiteer than both of us”.
She added: “She’s consistently argued for low tax policies and I’m particularly concerned about the 14 million people who voted for a manifesto and voted for a government that the candidate we select and for me it’s Liz who I’m going to back.
“We’ll continue with those manifesto promises and we’ll continue to deliver for the government and for the Conservative Party moving forward.”
Rees-Mogg said: “I think she’s as strong a Brexiteer as either of us.
“Liz was always opposed to Rishi’s higher taxes, that again is proper Conservatism.”