A Conservative grassroots group has suggested Rishi Sunak’s wife is pining for a general election sooner rather than later – so they can jet off to the sun-kissed coast of California.
Conservative Post, a website linked to Lord Cruddas, a Tory donor who has given £3 million to the party and is a Boris Johnson backer, quoted a “reliable source” in a social media post.
The group noted:
“A reliable source informs me Rishi’s wife Akshata Murty has been telling Sajid Javid’s wife Laura that she wants an election now so they can move to California immediately.
“If true, just resign NOW Rishi Sunak and give us a Conservative leader who cares long-term!”
The post comes after the Conservative Post launched a campaign to oust “wet” MPs and move the party to the Right.
Per reports in The Telegraph, the website has listed 10 MPs it sees as “dripping wets” – those who oppose Thatcherite policies such as reducing the size of the state and cutting taxes.
Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, and Alicia Kearns and Caroline Nokes, who chair select committees, are on the list, which also includes Laura Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Tobias Ellwood, the former defence select committee chairman, Alan Mak, the business minister, Bim Afolami, Roger Gale, Simon Hoare and Alberto Costa.
The Conservative Post website is calling on Tory members in the constituencies of the 10 MPs to write to their local association to demand a vote on reselection.
It points out that it only needs a 10th of all members to write in for a meeting to be called, and includes a letter for them to copy and paste.
Related: A timely reminder that the ECHR was set up to protect against unruly political parties
