Mr Skidmore also announced his defection in a Telegraph article in which he accused Sunak of frequently changing his position on key policy issues.
It’s time for positive politics to come together and for Liz to lead
Throughout this leadership contest, we have seen the huge and diverse range of talent in our party and benefited from frank and positive debate about our competing ideas and visions for our country and economy, writes Sir Robert Buckland . Sometimes, people have forgotten Ronald Reagan’s famous 11th commandment not to speak ill of a fellow conservative, which was unwise to say the least. But, as the contest comes to a head, we must remember what is really at stake. We don’t just elect a party leader, we elect the person we think is best suited to lead us through a tumultuous time. We will be asking our next Prime Minister from day one to guide our country through a cost of living crisis, war in Europe, rising geopolitical tensions and unresolved Northern Ireland border issues. As a party we will ask them to do all of this, deliver on our manifesto commitments and make enough progress on the leveling agenda to achieve an historic fifth term, all within two years. Whichever candidate we choose – and I truly believe they are both extremely capable – party unity must follow. We cannot expect to have the necessary strength in government if our party is torn in two by the end of the summer. Just as importantly, we need someone who can force things through the Whitehall system quickly and is relentlessly focused on getting things done. I know both candidates well and have worked with them in government and cabinet. At the start of the competition, I wrote for the Telegraph outlining what my basic approach to this competition would be. I have looked first at ideas and principles and then at personalities. During the parliamentary rounds, I supported Rishi Sunak as I felt that at that stage he embodied what we needed. As the election campaign has progressed, and as I have listened carefully to both candidates, I have thought deeply about the issues that move me and what I want to see the next prime minister do. Changing your mind on such a matter is not an easy thing, but I have decided that Liz Truss is the right person to take our country forward. One of the topics I wrote about was the importance of delivering on our manifesto commitment to reform the Human Rights Act. As Lord Chancellor, I pushed through vital reforms to judicial review and sentencing that delivered on our manifesto commitments and started work on reforming Labour’s flawed human rights law.
