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Redrow founder joins other property figures in backing PM as confidence vote looms
The founder of house builder Redrow has signed an open letter as one of 23 major Conservative donors calling for MPs to back prime minister Boris Johnson.
In an open letter published online, Steve Morgan was joined by a number of figures involved in housing and the property sector, such as Tony Gallagher, former chair of Gallagher Estates; Richard Harpin, chief executive of HomeServe; property tycoon Simon Reuben; and Lord Bamford, chair of construction equipment firm JCB.
The letter stated that a leadership contest would waste “months of precious time” and would be “foolish” at a moment when the UK faces a number of challenges, including the Ukraine war, cost of living crisis and a looming recession.
It has been reported that collectively the 23 individuals that signed the letter have donated approximately £18m to the Conservative Party in recent years.
Mr Morgan served as Redrow’s chair until retiring from the house builder’s board in March 2019. He remains a major shareholder in the firm.
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The letter came after a weekend of anger by MPs and the public over the prime minister’s role in the Partygate scandal, which saw Mr Johnson given a fixed penalty notice for attending an event in contravention of his own coronavirus lockdown laws.
The fine meant that Mr Johnson was the first prime minister to have broken the law while in office.
The letter from Conservative Party donors, however, stated that Mr Johnson “got the big calls right” on major issues such as the response to the pandemic and allowed the UK to “restore our freedoms so readily”.
EXC: Tory donors who have given the party more than £18 Million in recent years urge Conservative MPs NOT to ditch the PM.
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole)
The pleading letter from 23 big bucks supporters brands plotters "foolish" and says BoJo has their "unwavering support."t.co/29DrNp2Lta pic.twitter.com/BbaQ1G4HPQEXC: Tory donors who have given the party more than £18 Million in recent years urge Conservative MPs NOT to ditch the PM.
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) June 6, 2022
The pleading letter from 23 big bucks supporters brands plotters "foolish" and says BoJo has their "unwavering support."https://t.co/29DrNp2Lta pic.twitter.com/BbaQ1G4HPQ
The letter said: “This has arguably been the greatest peacetime crisis the United Kingdom has faced in its history.
“Throughout that crisis, prime minister Boris Johnson and this Conservative government took the tough but necessary decisions – helping to save lives, backing our NHS and key workers, protecting incomes and livelihoods, and ensuring our great nation is able to thrive again as we emerge together from the global pandemic…
“This country needs leadership and answers now – and our prime minister is the best person to do that job. We need to let him get on with it.
“Business needs certainty and stability, so we need Boris Johnson to remain as our prime minister, and he has our unwavering support.”
The letter was released to the public after the threshold that sparked a vote of no confidence was reached after 54 letters were received by the chair of the 1922 Committee of MPs.
The vote, which is a secret vote of all Conservative MPs, needs to see at least 180 of the 359 Conservative MPs vote for Mr Johnson to stay on as leader.
The vote is to be held between 6pm and 8pm today, with the outcome expected shortly after.
