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Donald Trump in talks with would-be PMs Boris, Gove and Hunt during state visit ahead of Tory leadership election
DONALD Trump is set to hold talks with the three frontrunners in the Tory leadership race during his state visit, it emerged today.
The President has invited would-be PMs Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt to meet him while he's in Britain over the next 24 hours.
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He also offered Boris Johnson a meeting - but BoJo said he was too busy with his leadership campaign to attend.
The meetings will come as a boost to the three contenders and could help them pull away from the rest of the leadership pack when the race formally kicks off on Friday.
Asked for his thoughts on who should take over from Theresa May, the President told a press conference: "I know Boris, I think he'd do a very good job. I know Jeremy, I think he'd do a very good job. I don't know Michael."
He made Mrs May laugh when he pointed to Mr Hunt and asked, "Jeremy - would Michael do a good job?"
Mr Gove has previously interviewed Mr Trump and was a guest at his state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night.
A member of the President's team reportedly asked the Environment Secretary if he wanted to meet Mr Trump and the pair are set to talk tonight or tomorrow.
BOJO NO-NO
Last night Mr Johnson chatted to the President on the phone for 20 minutes in a "friendly and productive" call.
But he turned down an invitation to meet at the US ambassador's house later today - claiming he's focussing on Tory leadership hustings which will take place this evening.
Mr Johnson wants to send a message to MPs that he is serious about his campaign and won't be distracted by the glitz of the Trump state visit.
He told the President they would "catch up at a later date", a source said.
The news will come as a relief to No10 who feared a meeting would overshadow Theresa May's talks with Mr Trump.
Last week Mr Trump told The Sun Boris would make a good PM, saying: "I think he would be excellent."
The other leadership contender holding talks with Mr Trump today is Jeremy Hunt, who took part in meetings at No10 alongside Mrs May.
The President has also asked him for a one-on-one meeting likely to take place on the margin of D-day commemorations in Portsmouth tomorrow.
His encounter with Mr Trump is a fresh boost for the Foreign Secretary as he scrambles to maintain his position in the leadership race.
Brexiteer big beast Liam Fox endorsed Mr Hunt this morning in a move which could boost his support among pro-Leave MPs.
Mr Johnson, Mr Gove and Mr Hunt are emerging as the three principle candidates with Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock, Rory Stewart and Andrea Leadsom challenging them.
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Tonight's One Nation Tory hustings hosted by leading centrists such as Amber Rudd are seen as a key moment in the leadership battle.
Any candidate who secures the support of the group is well-placed to make it to the final shortlist of two contenders which goes to the party membership.
Tonight Boris, Mr Javid, Mrs Leadsom and Kit Malthouse will speak at the hustings, and tomorrow Mr Raab, Mr Hunt, Mr Gove and Mr Hancock will follow suit.
Cleverly and Malthouse admit defeat and quit the race for No10
LONGSHOT contender James Cleverly today became the first candidate to quit the Tory leadership race.
Kit Malthouse pulled out hours later admitting he has no chance of making it to No10.
Mr Cleverly, the junior Brexit Minister, hit out at MPs who refused to take a "leap of faith" by skipping a generation and backing him.
He was one of the least experienced candidates having only joined the Commons in 2015.
But he claimed a fresh face would find it easier to unite the party and the country than a more experienced figure such as Boris Johnson, Michael Gove or Jeremy Hunt.
Mr Cleverly said today: "I asked them to make a leap of faither, skip a generation and vote for a relatively new MP.
"It is clear that despite much support, particularly from our party's grassroots, MPs weren't comfortable with such a move and it has become clear that it is highly unlikely that I would progress to the final two candidates."
Mr Malthouse, the Housing Minister and another member of the class of 2015, said this evening: "The last few days have demonstrated that there is an appetite for this contest to be over quickly and for the nation to have a new leader in place as soon as possible.
"As such, it seems right to me that I withdraw my candidature and wish those remaining the very best, always recognising there are going to be very challenging times ahead."
There are still a record-breaking 11 candidates vying for the leadership with the big beasts joined by outsiders such as Mark Harper and Sam Gyimah.
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Donald Trump tells Theresa May to stick around and do a trade deal during talks on day two of his UK state visit
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