Michael Gove’s campaign manager makes extraordinary text gaffe in bid to stop Andrea Leadsom becoming premier
Nick Boles messaged May supporters urging them to switch their support to his man to stop Leadsom making the cut
MICHAEL GOVE’s campaign manager last night admitted he would “sleep easily” if Theresa May became PM in an extraordinary text gaffe.
Skills Minister Nick Boles messaged Theresa May supporters urging them to switch their support to his man in the final round of voting to stop Andrea Leadsom making the cut.
Nick Boles messaged Theresa May supporters urging them to switch their support to his man.
But he was left humiliated as the text was leaked by the May camp – revealing that Mr Gove would rather take a “good thrashing” from the Home Secretary than allow Ms Leadsom to make the shortlist.
And Mr Boles also ridiculed the Conservative Party members for being out of touch – joking they would likely share Ms Leadsom’s “attitudes about much of modern life”.
In the text message, Mr Boles said: “You are my friend.
“I respect the fact that you want Theresa May to be PM.
“It is overwhelmingly likely that she will be.
“And if she does I will sleep easily at night.
“But I am seriously frightened about the risk of allowing Andrea Leadsom onto the membership ballot.
“What if Theresa stumbles?
“Are we really confident that the membership won’t vote for a fresh face who shares their attitudes about much of modern life?”
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He added: “I am not asking you to respond unless you positively want to have a chat.
“But I hope that you will reflect on this carefully.
“Michael doesn’t mind spending 2 months taking a good thrashing from Theresa if that’s what it takes but in the party’s interest and the national interest surely we must work together to stop AL?”
The staggering mistake came just hours after Theresa May was forced to deny her side was engaging in “tactical voting” of its own to prevent Ms Leadsom making the final two when MPs vote today.
Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock was named as trying to switch votes from Ms May to Mr Gove – a claim he dismissed as “total rubbish”.
The candidate who comes third in the final round of voting by MPs drops out of the running for No.10.
Party members will then determine which of the remaining two becomes PM.
Several Tories attending a final ‘hustings’ by all three candidates in Parliament last Wednesday claimed all sides were “back-stabbing” each other.
One blasted Theresa May’s camp for briefing out the Mr Boles text.
She told the Sun: “For May’s lot to pretend this is just Gove doing it is total bulls**t.
“We have to come back together after this and for one camp to be openly briefing like this is total bulls**t.
“This is so nasty but it’s all of them, they are all at it and have been all day.”
Ms Leadsom supporter Iain Duncan Smith last night said: “I thought this was about bringing the party together not dividing it.
“People who wield knives always end up stabbing themselves – so good luck to them.”
Separately yesterday, former Tory party chairman Grant Shapps urged the party to speed up the leadership race and install the new PM by the end of July.
He said it was in the “national interest” to determine the winner over the next three weeks rather than take until Septmber 9, as currently planned.
In a letter to current party chairman Lord Feldman he said: “ “Given the national urgency in making this final leadership decision, I believe that these hustings should be held over a three week period, during which time members can cast their ballots.
“This country desperately needs post-Brexit direction in order to avoid a political vacuum bearing serious consequences for all those we represent.”
Quizzed about the gaffe last night Nick Boles said: “I believe the next PM needs to be someone with experience of leadership at the highest levels of Government.
“Only two of the remaining candidates pass this test: Theresa May and Michael Gove.”