Second Tory donor calls for change of leader
A second Tory donor has gone public in urging MPs to call a vote of no confidence on the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith.
Chairman of Reading Football Club, John Madejski, who has given £82,300 to the party since 2001, said a leadership vote would “clear the air.”
Earlier in the week, Tory donor Stuart Wheeler, who contributed £5 million to the party’s last election campaign, said MPs had a ‘duty’ to challenge Duncan Smith.
Mr Wheeler said there was an “overwhelming” case for a change at the helm.
Mr Madejski told BBC2’s Newsnight a leadership election “would clear the air very well at the moment, which it needs.”
“I think there’s so much going on now that to get the situation resolved one way or another there should be an election just to confirm either Iain Duncan Smith is going to carry on as leader of the Tory party or someone new will be coming along to take over,” he added.
“But as far as I’m concerned as a would-be donor of the Tory party I think it’s very important we have a democratic process in this country, and that any government has a credible opposition.”
Earlier on Thursday, a seemingly harassed Mr Duncan Smith told reporters: “This party will win the next election under my leadership.
“There is no question about my leadership. The question is who is going to lead the country after the next election? And I can tell you now it is going to be me.”
For a no confidence vote to take place, 25 Tory MPs must write to Sir Michael Spicer, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, expressing their objections about the present leadership.
