Esther McVey: Brexiteer and former minister announces plan to run for Tory leadership

Esther McVey will enter the Tory leadership race after securing enough support from party colleagues, she has said.

The former pensions secretary confirmed she would throw her hat in the ring to succeed Theresa May, who told Tory MPs in March that she would step down once the first stage of Brexit was delivered.

Ms McVey joins an already crowded field of would-be Tory leaders, with cabinet ministers Andrea Leadsom and Rory Stewart openly declaring their intentions to stand for the position in recent days.

Senior Tories such as Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid and Matthew Hancock are widely seen as on manoeuvres, while top Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab have been canvassing support from the backbenches.

Mark Harper, a former Conservative chief whip and immigration minister, has also refused to rule out standing.

In an interview with The House magazine, he insisted his focus was on trying to deliver Brexit but did not deny rumours that he is considering a leadership bid.

He said: “I’ve been asked that question before. My view at the moment is particularly given the message from the local elections, is the focus of all of us now should be on trying to deliver what we promised. We need to look at what is ahead of us. She’s said she’s going to go, but it’s a question for another day.”

Pressed on the issue on TalkRadio, Ms McVey said: “I have always said quite clearly if I got enough support from my colleagues, yes I would.

“Now people have come forward and I have got that support, so I will be going forward.“

Ms McVey, a former GMTV presenter, took a tough stance on welfare at the Department for Work Pensions (DWP) where she presided over part of the botched universal credit rollout.

She was forced to apologise for misleading parliament after she downplayed a critical report on the flagship welfare reform by the National Audit Office.

Ms McVey, the MP for Tatton, resigned from the cabinet in November in protest at Ms May’s Brexit deal, but shifted her stance to back the plan in the most recent Commons vote.

The MP, who is a prominent Brexiteer, said the Conservatives needed a leader who “believes in Brexit”, and had “belief in the opportunities” it could bring.

Elsewhere, David Gauke, the justice secretary, issued a veiled rebuke against Brexiteer colleagues in a speech where he warned populist politics would “make us a poorer and a more divided nation”.

“Conservatism should be broad, not narrow; open, not closed; forward-looking, not yearning for a mythical past,” he said.

“It should be based on an appeal to the common-sense, pragmatic instincts of the majority. We should seek to unite, not divide. One Nation Conservatism.

“Pragmatic, practical, reasonable but determined. That is the character of the British people. That is the character of Conservatism at its best.”

It comes as the prime minister was granted a stay of execution by frustrated Tory MPs, who have been discussing whether to change their internal rules to oust her.

Backbench Tory leader Sir Graham Brady said Ms May would meet the 1922 Committee’s 18-strong executive next week amid grass roots fury over the party’s worst local elections performance in 24 years.

He also suggested she could make a final push to get her Brexit deal through parliament before European elections on 23 May.