Rishi Sunak speech amid reports of plot to oust him
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes a speech in the Midlands as he tells Tories to ‘stick to the plan’ amid reports of a plot to oust him.
Sunak: This is our bounceback year. PM said there was a “real sense that the economy is turning a corner.”
He announced reform package to boost apprenticeships and “cut red tape for thousands of small businesses.”
However, Conservative MPs speculating about ousting Rishi Sunak as prime minister should “stop it”, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said.
Reports have been swirling in recent days that some Conservative MPs want Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt to replace him.
But Ms Badenoch told BBC Breakfast this was only “a small minority of MPs”.
It comes after a difficult week for the PM, with former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson defecting to Reform UK.
Sunak also faced criticism over the way he handled allegations of racist comments made by major Tory donor Frank Hester.
Asked about reports that support was gathering around Ms Mordaunt as a potential replacement for the PM, Ms Badenoch said: “I’m sure if Penny was here she would be distancing herself from those comments.”
In an attempt to shift the focus to the economy, Downing Street issued a statement from Mr Sunak on Sunday night vowing that 2024 “will be the year Britain bounces back”.
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Speculation rife over Tory #leadership as Rishi Sunak speaks in the Midlands LIVE https://t.co/AXpqujJhvR Sunak says 2024 the year Britain bounces back #Politics #government #ynuktv @10DowningStreet pic.twitter.com/uTeC1kuoyK
— YourNewsUKtv (@YourNewsUKtv) March 18, 2024
