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Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt in early poll boost as Tories launch bids for leadership

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt gained momentum in the Tory leadership race today as they wheeled out the big guns for the official start of the contest.

In a boost for the Foreign Secretary, Mr Hunt was backed by Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, a rising Cabinet star whose Brexiteer credentials were complemented by top Remainer Amber Rudd, who declared for him yesterday.

Mr Johnson was backed by former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers and backbencher Matthew Offord, both London MPs who are defending seats with wafer-thin majorities.

Writing in the Evening Standard, the pair hailed the capital’s former mayor as a two-terms winner who would inject “hope and excitement” to the Tory message and reunite the nation.

Unveiling a social policy at his launch, Mr Hunt vowed to negotiate a “money for standards” deal with the big teaching unions. Mr Hunt also lashed out at Jeremy Corbyn’s record with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, comparing it to his father’s service as a Cold War naval commander.

In key developments as nominations opened for the battle to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader:

  • Officials figures showed growth slowing down after a downturn in car manufacturing, putting pressure on candidates to spell out how they can afford tax and spending promises, and highlighting potential perils of a hard Brexit.

  • Environment Secretary Michael Gove was set to launch his campaign this afternoon with a pledge to be “a leader who is ready to lead from day one”. But rivals exploited his admission that he snorted cocaine at social events 20 years ago. Esther McVey suggested he was a hypocrite, while Andrea Leadsom stressed the “untold harm to young people” caused by drug crime.

  • Mrs Leadsom took a swipe at rival Mr Johnson for promising bumper tax cuts, saying they would never get past the House of Commons. “I think, in reality, in this Parliament, it will be impossible, to actually get wholesale tax changes through,” she told the BBC.

  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock traded blows with former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, claiming his potential plan to suspend Parliament was an affront to everything D-Day veterans “wading onto those beaches fought and died for”.

Mr Gove was set to launch his campaign this afternoon after revelations of his cocaine use in his younger days (AFP/Getty Images)
Mr Gove was set to launch his campaign this afternoon after revelations of his cocaine use in his younger days (AFP/Getty Images)

Nominations formally opened for the leadership contest at 10am. Minutes later Ms McVey, one of those who appeared to struggle to achieve the eight backers required to stand, tweeted: “Nomination papers are in. It’s official.”

Four candidates were staging launch events today: Mr Hunt, Mr Hancock, Mr Gove and Mr Raab. Mr Johnson will launch tomorrow and Home Secretary Sajid Javid will follow on Wednesday.

Speaking at his Westminster launch, Mr Hunt said the Tories must now “broaden our appeal to Remainers, to women, to minorities, to young people and to the centre ground”.

Mr Hunt stressed the party’s “social mission”, saying he wanted “prosperity with a purpose”.

Jeremy Hunt launching his bid to be Tory leader today (AP)
Jeremy Hunt launching his bid to be Tory leader today (AP)

He said he would use his negotiating skills to raise education standards by offering more funding tied to better outcomes among school leavers.

Highlighting the number of 18-year-olds who were “unable to read or add up properly” and who left school without qualifications to get a well-paid job, he said: “I will negotiate an agreement with the teaching profession: more funding in return for a guarantee that we will be the first generation to abolish illiteracy and ensure no one leaves our education system without a rigorous qualification sufficient to work up to at least the average salary.”

Mr Hunt said the country “needs to get its confidence back and start walking tall in the world”.

He recalled his father’s role as a Cold War naval commander, saying: “When the Berlin Wall came down he had the sweetest victory any military man could ever hope for: victory without firing a single shot.” And in a jibe at anti-war Mr Corbyn, the Labour leader, he added: “While Jeremy Corbyn was marching for CND, my father and many others were marching for freedom.”

'Boris is the only one who can offer some hope'

Theresa Villiers, Matthew Offord

Eleven years ago, London was on the back foot: struggling to keep up with international rivals, knife crime soaring, and transport infrastructure under increasing strain. But Boris Johnson was elected with a message of hope.

We are backing Boris because he will lead from the centre ground, as he did during his very successful eight-year term as Mayor of London.

He provided a path to a better London, to a world-leading city with a renewed and strengthened appeal to visitors, businesses and investors. And he delivered unprecedented improvements for people throughout this hugely diverse city, including in its most deprived areas. Elected twice as Conservative mayor, his time in office saw a million new jobs, and Tube delays cut by more than 30 per cent. He oversaw one the UK’s greatest moments of recent years, the spectacularly successful 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

And he took tough decisions to make our city safer. On his watch, London’s murder rate halved and crime fell by a fifth. With crime going up once again, it is imperative we have a new prime minister with a proven record of delivery in tackling crime.

We also need a leader who can reach out to every part of modern Britain, understanding the challenges and struggles people face. In our cosmopolitan city, we saw Boris’s strong commitment and unique ability to connect with different backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities.

Brexit has divided our city and our country. We need to find a way to try to bridge the divisions the 2016 referendum revealed and bring people together. To do that, we need to end the political deadlock. We therefore need a leader who will take us out of the EU this year.

But we will have little hope of moving on unless we can start, once again, to offer people some hope and excitement about what politics can deliver for them. It is clear to us that the only leadership candidate who can do this is Boris Johnson.

The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers is former secretary of state for Northern Ireland and MP for Chipping Barnet and Matthew Offord is Conservative MP for Hendon

Mr Raab called for a revival of national confidence at his launch. He unveiled a raft of ideas “to harness the power of innovation and technology” so the UK can be a leader in green energy.

The Brexiteer focused on the environment with plans for a national energy research centre and a dedicated £500 million international wildlife fund to boost biodiversity, species preservation and nature conservation.

Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd came out fighting for Mr Hunt as the best-placed candidate to cut a Brexit deal.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is a fact that Parliament will intervene to try and stop no deal. I think the best shot we have of breaking this impasse is for Jeremy Hunt to use his best endeavours ... to try to break it.”