Macho Men and the Cabinet Bad Boy: Tory Leadership Round-Up

(Bloomberg) -- There’s now a timetable for the contest to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, and the bar for entry has been raised in order to thin the field. The first vote among Conservative members of Parliament will be on June 13. Here’s our weekly summary of what else has been going on.

Run Silent, Run Deep

Boris Johnson is still the favorite, while doing as little as possible in public. His on-the-record Brexit commentary this week amounted to: “If I get in we’ll come out, deal or no deal, on October 31.” It was a comment to a voter in Johnson’s first campaign video, making it difficult to interrogate its nuances. Even so, Tory MPs have been coming out in support of Johnson everyday, undeterred by warnings from the party’s election expert that the former foreign secretary’s appeal might not be what it once was.

Johnson received a significant boost on Friday from a court ruling that ended an attempt to prosecute him over his infamous spending claims during the 2016 Brexit referendum. A potential blot on his candidacy has been removed.

Are You High?

While Johnson is doing all he can to appear straight-laced, Environment Secretary Michael Gove admitted to using cocaine on several occasions before he entered politics. The revelations came in extracts of a new biography by journalist Owen Bennett due to be published in July. Gove said he deeply regretted taking drugs and asked not to be judged for his past mistakes.

Hush Hush Hustings

The candidates did take questions from MPs at two so-called hustings events this week -- where they pitched themselves to their colleagues. They insisted no reporters should be present so we have to rely on reports of what was said inside the room from the candidates’ teams and MPs’ reports. Fortunately, some good lines made it out.

Wipe Out?

Johnson told the room the party faces “extinction” if it doesn’t deliver Brexit by Oct. 31. He also said if the U.K. remains in the EU past that date, “the relevance of the referendum starts to wane.” It’s a comment that could come back to haunt him if Britain does end up seeking a further delay.

No Votes, No Voice

At the Wednesday hustings, Dominic Raab had a punchy answer to those asking if lawmakers could stop him from pursuing a no-deal Brexit: He refused to rule out suspending Parliament. Constitutional experts were quick to point out that doing so might create fresh problems, and Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow said he’d block any such move. The idea, in any case, is an intriguing way for Raab to try to win support from the very MPs he’s threatening to shut out.

Boys on Film

Along with Johnson, Jeremy Hunt also released a promotional video. But unlike Johnson’s message that voters love him, Hunt pitched himself as a successful entrepreneur. Rory Stewart, who started his campaign with one of the lowest profiles of the contenders, released daily films of himself walking the streets and talking to people.

No Sex Please, We’re Tories

It’s unclear what Esther McVey wanted the focus of her campaign to be, but it’s somehow become about sex -- and when children should find out about it. Her latest comment on the subject came in an LBC radio interview, when she seemed to suggest that sex education shouldn’t be mandatory until the age of 16. She also said she wouldn’t tolerate any Remainers in her Cabinet -- at least until Oct. 31.

Four-Letter Frenzy

Health Secretary Matt Hancock continued his efforts to shed his wholesome image and re-brand himself as the bad boy of the Cabinet. After last week’s “F*** f*** business” interview with the FT, this week he told Huffington Post he “gets s*** done.” Bloomberg is keen to interview Hancock, but probably won’t be asking his opinion of his rivals in case the answer is unprintable.

Donald Who?

Donald Trump was in town, and keen to meet Johnson, whom he admires. But perhaps suspecting that the U.S. president’s endorsement would do more harm than good, Johnson replied that he was unavailable. The pair settled for a phone call instead.

Michael Who?

One candidate who did meet Trump was Gove. They chatted at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening, and it’s possible Gove reminded the president they’d met before when he interviewed him for the Times newspaper shortly before he took office. Gove clearly made an impression. “I don’t know Michael,” Trump said at a press conference, before turning to ask rival candidate Hunt: “Would he do a good job, Jeremy?”

Macho Men

Sam Gyimah, a surprise entrant running on the even more surprising platform of a second referendum, accused rivals of being “chest-beating men” making testosterone-fueled pledges to renegotiate the Brexit deal with Brussels.

Home Help

Which brings us back to Dominic Raab, who didn’t impress female colleagues when, asked about his approach to feminism, he defended his record by saying he “picks up the slack” at home.

The Hills Are Alive

The most tortured justification of the week came from Andrea Leadsom, explaining her concerns about the proposed High Speed 2 rail link from London to Manchester. Lots of Tories hate the plan because it goes near their houses. But the reason Leadsom gave was the difficulty faced by engineers laying track past all the hills: “This is not a great open plains type of country, this is a green and pleasant land.’’ The interview also included a revelation. She described her naughtiest moment as riding 300 miles on a motorbike with a man when she was 16 years old -- her mum thought she was on a bus.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Out of the race are James Cleverly and Kit Malthouse. We hardly knew you.

Forgotten But Not Gone

Sajid Javid and Mark Harper are still in the race, but struggling to attract coverage.

Still Flirting

We could still see more entrants. Self-dubbed “Brexit Hardman” Steve Baker has said he’ll run if none of the candidates are proposing a sharp enough split from the EU. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt could also throw her hat into the ring, and it’s just possible that Graham Brady -- until recently the shop steward of backbench Tory MPs -- could go for it.

--With assistance from Alex Morales.

To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas Penny

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