Liz Truss has plan for keeping fractured United Kingdom together, supporters say
- Senior Tories from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland praised Liz Truss
- Stephen Kerr, Andrew RT Davies and Matthew Robinson said Truss would deliver
- They said ‘Liz’s record on the Union is impeccable’ and that she has the best plan
- The winner of the Tory leadership race will be announced in two weeks
Top Tories from across the UK today come out to back Liz Truss, saying she has the ‘best plan’ for protecting the Union.
Writing jointly in the Daily Mail, the trio of senior Conservatives from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hail the Foreign Secretary’s record and character.
Stephen Kerr, chief whip for the Scottish Conservative Group, Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives and Matthew Robinson, chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, say Miss Truss is the candidate who can ‘deliver for the whole country’.
They write: ‘We have jointly concluded that Liz Truss has the best plan, character and understanding of our Union to be Prime Minister.
Top Tories from across the UK today come out to back Liz Truss (pictured on August 20 at Manchester Central Convention Complex), saying she has the ‘best plan’ for protecting the Union
‘Liz’s record on the Union is impeccable. She grew up in Paisley and her affinity for our whole United Kingdom is clear in both her speech and her record.’
The Tories commend her record as trade secretary – securing ‘dozens of trade deals around the world that proved a huge boost to our regional economies’ – and as Foreign Secretary where she has ‘proved that the Union is at the top of her priority list by standing up to the EU’.
And they conclude: ‘Ultimately we believe that Liz is the right person to take our Party and country forward because she is the best placed to bring what we need above all else – unity.’
Their comments come after former Northern Ireland First Minister Dame Arlene Foster said Miss Truss would be the best prime minister to counter ‘threats to the Union’.
Stephen Kerr (pictured in 2021), chief whip for the Scottish Conservative Group, wrote ‘Liz’s record on the Union is impeccable’
She said the Foreign Secretary had the ‘determination and creativity to persuade voters who may be wondering what benefits the Union really brings to them’.
‘Given ongoing threats to the Union, we need a prime minister with the determination and creativity to persuade voters who may be wondering what benefits the Union really brings to them,’ she wrote in The Sunday Telegraph.
Yet polling guru Sir John Curtice said yesterday that neither candidate is likely to bring any ‘immediate boost to support for the Union’.
Andrew RT Davies (pictured in 2015), leader of the Welsh Conservatives wrote jointly in the Mail with Stephen Kerr, chief whip for the Scottish Conservative Group and Matthew Robinson, chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives
They write: ‘We have jointly concluded that Liz Truss has the best plan, character and understanding of our Union to be Prime Minister.’ Pictured is Matthew Robinson on August 17, Chairman of the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland
Writing in The Sunday Times, he said: ‘Simply arguing that another referendum should not be held at all seems unlikely to win many converts. While 44 per cent oppose a referendum in the next five years, 48 per cent are in favour.
‘Ultimately the Union will only be safe if people in Scotland come to believe in it. But it is far from clear that the next prime minister will have the right strategy to achieve that.’
The winner of the Tory leadership race will be announced in two weeks, with polls suggesting Miss Truss is on course for a decisive victory.
However, there have been concerns within Conservative ranks that the protracted contest over the summer is damaging the party’s electoral prospects, with the final two candidates rubbishing each other’s ideas.
A poll released over the weekend by Opinium gave Labour an eight-point lead over the Conservatives, the largest since the pollsters introduced a new methodology in February.
Why she’s the one we trust, by Stephen Kerr, Andrew RT Davies and Matthew Robinson
The Conservative Party leadership contest is entering its final stages – and the recent hustings in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland gave us a good chance to see what they had to offer for each constituent part of our nation and for the Union as a whole.
Having taken the time to listen to their respective pitches and consider what each candidate has to say about the Union and their plans for our countries, we have jointly concluded that Liz Truss has the best plan, character and understanding of our Union to be prime minister.
Liz’s record on the Union is impeccable. She grew up in Paisley and her affinity for our whole UK is clear.
As trade secretary she cut dozens of trade deals that proved a huge boost to our regional economies by opening up new markets for our businesses, increasing exports of everything from Welsh lamb to ship parts from Northern Ireland, and Scotch whisky.
As Foreign Secretary she has proved that the Union is at the top of her priority list by standing up to the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, taking the necessary action to protect the Belfast Agreement and the peace it underpins, and ensuring that nothing undermines the sanctity of our Union or Northern Ireland’s place in it.
Liz has not only displayed the necessary strength and fortitude which will be key to ensuring we do not dance to Brussels’ tune, but also the flexibility and ingenuity to find and deliver a workable alternative.
She has a plan to deliver on the 2019 promise our party made to level up – this includes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as much as it does towns in the north of England and rural areas in the south.
Her low-tax, low-regulation investment zones will drive investment into all four corners of our nation by making our regions extra-attractive to businesses that will bring jobs, growth and opportunity.
She also understands the investments required in rail and transport infrastructure to grow our economy, modernise transport networks and unite our Union.
Liz understands that if Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland prosper, so does the Union. And we know that if it does well, so do our nations – we are one and the same.
Ultimately we believe that Liz is right to take our party and country forward because she is the best placed to bring what we need above all else – unity.
We cannot hope to strengthen the ties of our Union, to deliver for the whole country, without uniting.
The leadership contest has been bruising at times, but Liz’s wide range of backing illustrates that she is the person to deliver unity again.
And her record, plan and fundamental beliefs mean that she will bring our country together.
We hope that our members in all parts of our nation will agree and unite behind Liz to bring our party together and deliver for the country.
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