UK PM race: Minister switches sides from Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss

A senior Cabinet minister who was backing Rishi Sunak in the UK prime ministerial contest on Saturday became the first highprofile figure to switch sides to the opposing camp of Foreign Secretary Liz TrussWriting in The Daily Telegraph Sir Robert Buckland said he now believes Truss is the right person to take the country forward and that her plans are the best shot for the UK to reach its potential as a highgrowth highproductivity economyThe minister said he had initially backed Rishi Sunak because he felt that during the initial parliamentary rounds where Conservative Party MPs decided on the final two candidates the former Chancellor was embodying what we neededAs the campaign has moved on 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 doing writes BucklandChanging your mind on an issue like this is not an easy thing to do but I have decided that Liz Truss is the right person to take the country forward he saidThe defection comes on the back of surveys that show Truss in a clear lead over her British Indian contender in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader and Prime Minister During such leadership contests members of Parliament often pick their endorsements with an eye on a ministerial post in the new leaders CabinetBuckland writes I know both candidates well and have worked with them in government and in Cabinet I have looked at ideas and principles first and personalities second Her Truss plans give us our best shot at reaching our potential with the highgrowth highproductivity economy that we need not only to get us out of this crisis but to protect ourselves from the nextIt is in marked contrast to the comments he made in a video a month ago when he publicly endorsed Sunak Now is the time for serious leadership that is why I am proud to back Rishi Sunak as our next Prime MinisterMeanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab one of Sunaks highprofile and ardent supporters told The Times that Truss plans were not credible for the country and claimed that while the Foreign Secretary zigzagged on issues Sunak has remained consistent and clear with his visionBeing honest levelling with the country is really important given the erosion of trust in politicians and the circumstances around the departure of Boris If were going to deliver the country through difficult times we need a Prime Minister who has been very clear about the challenges ahead he tells the newspaper in an interviewAddressing one of the key attacks during the ongoing campaign that the former Chancellor betrayed Johnson by resigning from his Cabinet last month and speeding up his former boss exit from 10 Downing Street the senior Cabinet minister is adamant that Sunak took the right stepAnyone who thinks Rishi stabbed Boris in the back is kidding themselves Liz was doing lots of groundwork with her Fizz for Liz dinners with MPs for months on end said Raab who is also the Justice SecretaryRishi worked very hard to make the relationship with the Prime Minister work hes explained why in the end he couldnt stay Im saying that as someone who was staunchly loyal to the PM said RaabRaab also defended the UKborn Indianorigin former finance minister over attacks on his personal wealth and that of his wife Akshata Murty daughter of Infosys cofounder Narayana MurthyThe blatant sexism underlying the critique is astonishing Im surprised in the 21st century were still hearing these kinds of things She Murty paid all her tax that was due We should be championing female entrepreneurs who have been as successful as her Shes a great role model for women and for those from ethnicminority backgrounds who want to live the British dream he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever