Rishi Sunak will lead the Tories into the next general election, the transport secretary insisted, amid reports of a plot to oust the prime minister.
Mark Harper dismissed speculation some Conservative rebels want the prime minister to be replaced with Commons leader Penny Mordaunt.
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Asked on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if Mr Sunak will still be leader at the next election, Mr Harper said: “Yes he will.
“And he’ll take us into that election and he’ll set out very clearly that we’re a government with a plan.”
Asked on the rumours about Ms Mordaunt, he said his colleagues should focus on what is “right for the country”.
“That is the approach that the prime minister takes as well,” he added.
“He focuses on making the right decisions, even if in the short term they’re not necessarily popular…. I’m confident those decisions will pay off.”
Replacing Mr Sunak would involve imposing a sixth prime minister on the country since the 2010 general election, and the third without going to the polls.
Ms Mordaunt has herself shot down speculation she is involved in a plot to become the next Tory leader, telling Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby the idea is “nonsense” and “the public are rather tired of these stories”.
One of her backers also called the reports a “made up briefing”.
With the Tories languishing behind Labour by around 20 points in the polls – and many senior MPs at risk of losing their seats – there has long been speculation about Mr Sunak’s position.
Reports in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph over the weekend had suggested MPs on the right of the party met moderates this week to discuss uniting behind Ms Mordaunt if the prime minister faces a no confidence vote.
It followed a difficult fortnight for Mr Sunak, in which he came under fire over…
