Michael Fabricant MP: 'Vote winner' Boris the only rightful successor if Truss goes
A Tory MP has given Liz Truss his "full support" – but says if she goes Boris Johnson would be the only rightful successor.
Michael Fabricant has written to the chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers outlining his backing for the beleaguered Prime Minister, who is fighting to hold onto her premiership after scrapping her fiscal plan.
The Lichfield MP said he was confident the PM had the skills necessary to lead the country.
And in his letter to Sir Graham Brady he said there was only one man to replace her should she not survive attempts to oust her.
Mr Fabricant is a staunch supporter of former PM Mr Johnson, who announced his resignation in July after many of his own MPs turned against him over Partygate and the Chris Pincher scandal.
He told the Express & Star: "I hope the Prime Minister does survive, because she received a mandate from the membership of the Conservative Party to be our Prime Minister.
"She has my full support. If, however, she were not to survive, the only other person who has a similar mandate is Boris Johnson.
"I never wanted him to stand down in the first place and much of the vitriol against him was because the Labour Party recognise that he would offer a real alternative to Keir Starmer.
"There is no doubt that Boris is a vote winner. And many respect him for the actions he took in getting the vaccine programme rolling and providing furlough support during lockdown."
It came as reports suggested as many as 100 MPs had written to Sir Graham calling for a vote on whether to depose the PM.
New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the Government had scaled back support for energy bills and ditched tax cuts announced in last month's mini-budget.
