Tories Warn Truss Allies Getting Key Posts in New UK Gov’t Would Be 'Absolute Mayhem', Report Says

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss remains the favorite to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and prime minister when the result of the Tory members' ballot is announced on September 5th.

Senior UK Conservative Party figures have warned Liz Truss of far-reaching consequences of packing the new government with “a mix of Johnson loyalists and right-wingers” if the foreign secretary wins a Tory leadership race, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed former Tory cabinet minister as claiming that there would be “explosive” repercussions if Truss allies were appointed to top positions in her Cabinet.

“If she wins, then on policy issues, including budget issues, most colleagues will take the view that she deserves the chance to put her plans into effect. She will get things through parliament. But if her government tries to do things on the integrity questions, I think there could be trouble quite early on,” the minister said.

Former Cabinet Minister David Davis urged Truss to unite the Conservative Party with a so-called “big tent” approach to the formation of her government.

“It is incredibly important that the incoming leader knits the party together. It was one of [outgoing UK Prime Minister] Boris [Johnson]’s earliest failures that he did not do that. He just picked the loyalists and as a result it made it more and more difficult to manage the party,” Davis stressed.

He insisted that uniting the party is “not just in the party’s interests but in the interests of delivering serious policy and winning the next election.”

Davis was echoed by Foreign Office Minister Amanda Milling, who told The Guardian that the current Tory leadership contest had been “toxic and bruising for the Conservative party brand.” She pointed out that with the winner set to be announced on Monday, “the whole party, from the frontbench to the backbench, has to come together as one united team in order to deliver for the British people and defeat Labour. If we don’t, we risk being out of power for a decade.”

Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake, a member of the Treasury select committee, for his part, argued that it would be impossible to win the next election “with a divided party, so it is absolutely vital that whoever wins [the Tory leadership race] brings people in from different camps.”

An unnamed Conservative Party source in turn warned of early Tory rebellions unless Truss adhered to a “big tent” approach, adding, “If she does what is rumored and brings back [John] Redwood and [former Tory leader] Duncan Smith, there’ll be hell to pay.”

As for 72-year-old Redwood, he is known as a Eurosceptic and a "pragmatic Thatcherite," he is consistently being tipped for a return to the frontbench with a role in the Treasury.

According to the source, “it will be absolute mayhem, unless she [Truss] makes a really concerted effort to dip into all the different factions that make up the party. If she doesn’t do that, I think this could be a really, really difficult time for her and therefore for us.”

The remarks come after the Telegraph reported on Saturday that Truss supporters are “increasingly worried” that with the exception of a few ministers, most members of the current cabinet will be ousted and replaced by people holding more junior positions but ideologically supporting Truss.

One unnamed official told the newspaper that the plans of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng, a likely chancellor in Truss' cabinet, to sack old-timer Treasury Permanent Secretary Tom Scholar would be "suicidal". The official explained that Scholar is seen as one of few people capable of navigating the UK out of the current energy crisis.

The claims followed media reports that Suella Braverman is “nailed on” to become a new UK home secretary, moving her on from her current role as Attorney General. James Cleverly, currently the Education Secretary, is reportedly to be made foreign secretary in reward for his backing of the Truss campaign.

Another staunch Truss supporter, Simon Clarke, is being touted as a potential levelling up secretary in the new government, according to the reports.

On September 5th, Truss is widely expected to be announced the next Tory leader and UK Prime Minister following her summer-long leadership contest with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak.