The Tory leadership contest turns nasty – with Brexit the mode of attack

The EU faultline which has divided the Tories since the Thatcher era has re-emerged, becoming a vehicle for personal attacks, writes Andrew Grice

Some Tory MPs hoped it would be the moment the party finally ‘moved on’ from Brexit (EPA)

Conservative Party leadership elections are often more about stopping someone rather than the winner garnering positive support in their own right – as the one-time front-runners Michael Heseltine, Kenneth Clarke and Michael Portillo will testify.

This contest began with a “Stop Truss” campaign by the foreign secretary’s backbench enemies. Then Boris Johnson and his remaining allies launched an “anyone but Rishi” campaign, accusing the former chancellor of treachery. Now it’s all about “Stop Mordaunt”, after Penny Mordaunt’s remarkable transformation from would-be leader without followers to bookies’ favourite.

As the contest got underway, some Tory MPs hoped it would be the moment the party finally “moved on” from Brexit. They noted approvingly that most candidates were winning the support of both 2016 Leavers and Remainers. Sadly, it hasn’t lasted.