Tom Tugendhat has the drive to tackle vested interests like the Bank of England, says MP

Tom Tugendhat’s supporters on Tuesday said he won’t be afraid to take on “vested interests in government” if he wins the race to become the next Tory leader and Prime Minister.

The former Army officer was preparing to formally launch his campaign offering a clean start for British politics after Boris Johnson was forced to resign over a series of controversies.

Ahead of the launch he tweeted: “We cannot afford to lose focus on the challenges our country faces. We need a serious government for serious times.”

One of his key supporters, the northern Red Wall MP Jake Berry, said he was backing the Tonbridge and Malling MP because he was prepared to tackle “orthodoxies” like the independence of the Bank of England to set monetary policy.

Mr Tugendhat has said the Bank’s policy of quantitative easing has stoked inflation but its governor Andrew Bailey hit back on Monday telling MPs its independence is a “cornerstone of economic policy”.

But Mr Berry, chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, told Times Radio: “We need a different approach, that’s why we need Tom because he will be prepared to take on those old orthodoxies, take on the Bank of England if he needs to do it to create that fairer growing economy.

“I don’t think any of the other candidates — because they have been in the tent — I don’t think they have that different vision to take on vested interests in government.”

With leadership candidates vowing to slash taxes, Mr Tugendhat has pledged to reverse the 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance.