Oliver Dowden has dismissed stories about his potential candidacy for the Tory leadership as “total and utter nonsense”. The Deputy Prime Minister told Sky News: “There's only one thing that I'm focused on, and that is making sure we have an overall majority for the Conservative Party, to fight for every single vote.”
His comment comes after reports on Saturday (June 29) that Leading Tories don't want him to become their party's caretaker leader Should the Conservatives lose the General Election on July 4 and Rishi Sunak resigns.
Mr Dowden is said to have been a key figure urging the prime minister to call the snap election, which is in its sixth and final week.
A Conservative source told the Mirror Mr Dowden should be sent “into political exile” if the party loses.
Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch have all been tipped as potential new party leaders.
Another Tory insider told the Express that once the voting ends on Thursday all thoughts will turn to how the party recovers.
They said: “Barring a miracle we know we're going to lose this election and it's all about damage limitation now.
“Nobody can talk about what happens next because it would look like they are stoking divisions. But once the voting is over, all thoughts will turn to how we recover from this.”
Mr Dowden, who is defending a 22,980 strong majority in Hertsmere, has occupied a number of roles in government, including Culture Secretary, Cabinet Office minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
He appeared on the airwaves on Sunday (June 30), taking the attack to Labor and Reform UK as well as defending the Tories' record in office.
Told the Conservatives were facing a “catastrophe” built up over many years, he told Sky's Trevor Phillips: “I'm not going to accept the premise of your question actually.
“If you look at the record since 2010, when we came to office unemployment was a huge problem. Since then, four million jobs have been created, record unemployment. Now we have the highest reading standards in the western world. So we have got a record of which we can be proud.”
Mr Dowden also warned the “shine” would come off Labor “pretty quickly” and “the bigger the Labor majority, the bigger the buyer's remorse”.
He insisted his aim was still for the Conservatives to win an “overall majority” rather than avoid a Labor “supermajority”, which Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has warned of.