THE race for Number 10 has been branded “puerile” and “embarrassing” by a Tory minister after a row broke out over Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss’s wardrobe choices.
Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer said the rival campaigns should remember that on the “current trajectory” the Tories would be out of power in two years’ time.
With the contest turning increasingly personal, it was “time to raise standards,” he said.
It followed Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, a supporter of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, attacking Mr Sunak over his expensive clothing.
She tweeted a link to a Daily Mail story about the millionaire former Chancellor wearing a bespoke Henry Herbert suit worth around £3,500, as well as recently wearing Prada loafers to a building site in Redcar.
Suggesting the former Chancellor’s huge personal wealth meant he was out of touch with ordinary voters, Ms Dorries wrote: “@trussliz will be travelling the country wearing her earrings which cost circa £4.50 from Claire Accessories. Meanwhile…
“Rishi visits Teesside in Prada shoes worth £450 and sported £3,500 bespoke suit as he prepared for crunch leadership vote.”
Guildford MP Angela Richardson, a support for Mr Sunak, replied with the social media abbreviation for “for f***’s sake” and said she was silencing Ms Truss’s account.
She wrote: “FFS Nadine! Muted.”
Reacting to the spat, Mr Mercer tweeted: “Back in Whitehall today - perhaps only a few weeks to make a difference.
“Probably worth remembering that on current trajectory we are out of power in two years time. The puerile nature of this leadership contest is embarrassing. Time to raise the standards."
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