October 24, 2022 2.14 pm This story is over 27 months old

The Lincolnshire MPs who backed Rishi Sunak as Penny drops in PM race

Five of our MPs backed Boris before he withdrew

By Local Democracy Reporter

Rishi Sunak, armed with the support of multiple Lincolnshire MPs, is set to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after Boris Johnson announced he wouldn’t run and Penny Morduant dropped out of the race.

The Conservative party has been undergoing its second leadership contest in three months after Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister just 45 days into the job – amid scrutiny over her U-turned mini-budget and question marks over the validity of her public mandate to deliver policies.

A new Conservative leader and this Prime Minister is to be officially announced by Friday at the latest, with nominations for candidacy closing at 2pm on Monday. Candidates must have the support of at least 100 Tory MPs to stand.

Rishi Sunak and Penny Morduant were the only MPs to announce a leadership bid, but after failing to receive at least 100 supporters within the party, Morduant has stepped aside as a Sunak premiership now looks a certainty.

According to the BBC, none of Lincolnshire’s MPs had provided on the record support to Penny Morduant, and with Boris Johnson announcing that he won’t be running for leader – just months after his resignation – it clears the path for Rishi Sunak to become the first British-Asian Prime Minister.

The Lincolnshire MPs that have backed Rishi Sunak publicly are:

  • Gareth Davies – Grantham and Stamford
  • Victoria Atkins – Louth and Horncastle
  • John Hayes – South Holland and The Deepings
  • Martin Vickers – Cleethorpes
  • Andrew Percy – Brigg and Goole

U-turns pending as five Lincs MPs backed Boris

Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in July 2022 – and has ruled himself out of a return to Downing Street.

It comes as five Greater Lincolnshire MPs offered public backing for a Boris Johnson return to Downing Street, only for Johnson himself to rule it out on Sunday.

Boris Johnson was forced into resignation earlier this year following a series of scandals surrounding the breach of COVID-19 restrictions, the allegations against ex-Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher and more.

As Truss resigned, the rumour mill began circulating that Johnson was planning a fresh leadership bid, just over a month after he formally left office – bit Johnson himself said it was not the right time.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, Gainsborough’s Sir Edward Leigh and Sleaford & North Hykeham Member of Parliament Caroline Johnson went on record to say they would be supporting Boris Johnson, but are yet to declare who they backed between Rishi Sunak and Penny Morduant.

It is also understood that Great Grimsby MP Lia Nici and Scunthorpe MP Holly Mumby-Croft offered support to Boris Johnson, but they too have not declared their new preferred option. The former said that “many” of her constituents told her they wanted Boris back.

The call to back Boris raise eyebrows not just in local constituencies but across the country, given the resignation of Caroline Johnson as vice chair of the Conservative Party just three months earlier.

Sleaford & North Hykeham’s Caroline Johnson handed in her resignation as Boris Johnson’s tenure wound down in the summer, citing the “cumulative effort” of “squandering the goodwill of our great party”. The Lincolnite asked Johnson to clarify what had changed in this time, but did not receive a response.

This leaves just one MP in Greater Lincolnshire who is yet to show their hand – Boston and Skegness’ Matt Warman. However, he did back Rishi Sunak in the previous leadership race, so is expected to follow suit this time around.


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