Ex-PM Sir John Major backs Jeremy Hunt to be Tory leader as he lashes out at Boris Johnson

SIR John Major announced he was backing Jeremy Hunt in the race for PM as he lashed out at Boris Johnson over Brexit.

Explaining why he could never back Mr Johnson for PM, Sir John blasted: “I cannot vote for someone who was part of the Brexit campaign that misled the country.”

Instead he said he would offer his vote to Mr Hunt, adding: “I don’t think anyone would be in any doubt about that.”

Sir John told BBC HARDtalk: “I haven’t received any ballot papers yet. The ballot is private but I think it is fairly evident from my views that I cannot vote for someone who was part of the Brexit campaign that misled the country.

“So I shall offer my vote to Jeremy Hunt and I don’t think anyone would be in any doubt about that.”

Mr Hunt pleaded with Tory members not to vote in the contest before the first TV debate between the pair on Tuesday.

Speaking to The Times as ballot papers started to be sent out, Mr Hunt said: “The big message I want to give to Conservative party members is wait to see me and Boris in action on the TV debates — try before you buy.”

He also said he would consider cancelling the party conference season in the autumn in order to resolve Brexit and would also be willing to force MPs to sit through the night.

PM BACKING

Mr Hunt said he will bring Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson into his Brexit negotiating team.

He accused Mr Johnson of “measuring up the curtains” amid reports the front-runner had drawn up plans for all 109 ministerial roles.

Boris also secretly met Sajid Javid this week amid speculation he will hand him the key role of Chancellor and also held talks with his old foe Michael Gove to discuss Cabinet jobs.

Mr Hunt said it was “yet more evidence of a complacent campaign that members increasingly feel is taking them for granted.”

He added: “There’s sensible planning and then there’s measuring up the curtains.” It comes after Mr Johnson was forced to rebuke senior backers Liz Truss and Matt Hancock for freelancing major policies.

Mr Hunt will make a speech on how the Tories can win back young voters from Jeremy Corbyn.

He will argue that young people are being “sold down the river” by the hard-left Labour’s agenda to “buy now, pay tomorrow” policies.

Speaking to the Young Conservatives Conference in Nottingham Mr Hunt will say the only thing Mr Corbyn will deliver to young people is a “boomerang of broken promises”.

He was handed a boost after 25 young Tory members published a joint letter announcing they had defected from Mr Johnson to now backing Mr Hunt.

They say they have decided to switch to backing Mr Hunt because of the “gravity of the task before us demands a leader with the seriousness to meet it”.

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