Penny Mordaunt has refused to confirm fundamental things she’d do as Prime Minister in a cringeworthy interview.
She became the only candidate for PM to grant a TV interview before Tories decide the next occupant of Downing Street.
But in a testy to-and-fro today, the Cabinet minister and previous candidate would not spell out any policy, claiming to do so would not “put the country first”.
She refused to give details of her tax and spend policy, and whether she backs the pensions triple lock, 3% defence spending or no cuts to the health service.
She would not even say if she’d raise benefits in line with inflation, despite calling for that to happen just weeks ago.
It means voters know almost nothing about what any of the three possible PMs would do, as calls ramp up for a general election to let the country decide who will be Prime Minister.
The Tory leader is set to be picked by just 172,000 members. It will be the first time since the Second World War that the party of government has changed its leader twice in a row without an election.
Odds have slipped on Ms Mordaunt taking the top job as she struggles to pass 30 public backers. 100 are needed.
Rishi Sunak is well over the threshold and Boris Johnson ’s backers claim he is too, despite only 60 or so being public.
Three weeks ago Ms Mordaunt revolted openly against Liz Truss over benefits at the party conference.
When the PM was considering failing to raise welfare by inflation, Ms Mordaunt said: “We are not about trying to help people with one hand and take it away with another.”
She added: "I have always supported, whether it's pensions, whether it's our welfare system, keeping pace with inflation. It makes sense to do so. That's what I voted for before and so have a lot of my colleagues."
But asked today by the BBC ’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg if she’d raise benefits with inflation, Ms Mordaunt said: “You're trying very hard Laura to draw me… People know my record.
“They know the record of this Conservative government, we have always protected people, but I'm not being drawn into the detail.
“This is really important, what we must do is remember that our mandate lies in the 2019 manifesto.
“If we remember what we all wanted to do after that last election, our ambition for the country is to deliver on those wishes.”
Asked where she would make spending cuts, she told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: "I'm not going to talk about the details of that package (on October 31), what might come forward or decisions that are in the Bank of England's remit".
Pressed on whether she would make cuts to the NHS, she said: "I'm not going to be drawn into the detail of this but what is important for your viewers is to understand that I recognise that people are going to need support, that our health service is under strain.
On defence, she said: "I know that me not giving you an answer to that question is to my detriment, but I'm putting the country first."
She said she would not be "drawn on" the pensions triple lock.
And asked if she would bring down immigration she replied: “Again, I'm not being drawn on the detail.”
She added: “I have my views but I won’t be imposing policy that I've just made up in a room by myself. I will be talking with my Cabinet”.
