‘Is this a joke?’: Constituents react as Tory Hexham MP picks his new Prime Minister after Liz Truss leaves

Guy Opperman has named who he wants as the next Prime Minister, which sparked mixed comments online.
Toby Bryant
By Toby Bryant
Published 21st Oct 2022, 10:52 BST
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Constituents were left divided after the Conservative MP for Hexham named who he wants as the new Prime Minister following the resignation of Liz Truss.

Guy Opperman has been the MP for Hexham since 2010, winning 54.5% of the vote in 2019. The politician took to social media on Friday morning to share that he would be backing Boris Johnson become Prime Minister and who else is in the running?">Rishi Sunak as his candidate to become the next party leader.

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In a short post, Mr Opperman wrote: "I remain of the view that Rishi Sunak is the right person to be our Prime Minister. He is a serious person for serious times. He was right about the economy during the summer: we need his leadership to get us back on track."

The post caused a split reaction from followers online. Some did agree that Sunak was the right man for the job, whilst many others threw other names into the mix and some shared frustration and desires for a General Election.

"I believe Government should be focusing on the issues affecting our economy, the cost of living, and the necessity of ending the war in Ukraine. I do not believe the many months associated with leadership change helps that; I do not support colleagues undermining the PM. The PM has my support as we collectively address these issues post covid; that means levelling up, enhanced pension saving, better education / skills and real conservative policies both to grow our economy and look after the most vulnerable in our society.""I believe Government should be focusing on the issues affecting our economy, the cost of living, and the necessity of ending the war in Ukraine. I do not believe the many months associated with leadership change helps that; I do not support colleagues undermining the PM. The PM has my support as we collectively address these issues post covid; that means levelling up, enhanced pension saving, better education / skills and real conservative policies both to grow our economy and look after the most vulnerable in our society."
"I believe Government should be focusing on the issues affecting our economy, the cost of living, and the necessity of ending the war in Ukraine. I do not believe the many months associated with leadership change helps that; I do not support colleagues undermining the PM. The PM has my support as we collectively address these issues post covid; that means levelling up, enhanced pension saving, better education / skills and real conservative policies both to grow our economy and look after the most vulnerable in our society."

One commenter said: "Unfortunately I disagree, I think Boris Johnson should come back and be allowed to get on with the job he started he is the man we voted for, not Liz or Rishi. We need stability fast."

Another said: "I cannot believe that a party Boris Johnson led to an 80-seat majority has torn itself and the country apart. Instigated in a large part by Sunak. So for me, he is not the right leader. Though I admit it’s hard to see who is."

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Another asked if Mr Opperman had made "a joke" in supporting the man that had been rejected by the party in favour of Liz Truss over the summer.

Some did agree with the Hexham MP. One person said: "I am with you Rishi is only option was before even more now. To me, he has a couple of years to put the mess behind him but could be 12+ years before conservatives are back in Number 10. I will continue to vote Opperman."

The country's next Prime Minister will be chosen by Friday, October 28. It is expected that, once again, a final two candidates will be put forward before being voted on by party members.

Related topics:Boris JohnsonLiz TrussPrime Minister

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