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It seems increasingly that the greatest threat to Peter MacKay’s leadership bid is Peter MacKay.

The presumed front-runner in the campaign to replace Andrew Scheer as Conservative leader has stumbled more than once in recent days.

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On Tuesday, he issued a statement clarifying his position on whether he’d favour moving the Canadian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, after a report in The Post Millennial said he would not commit to a measure that is current Conservative Party policy.

When he was pushed on the issue, he said it is “a very complicated subject” and calling for the move would be “presumptuous”.

MacKay’s ambiguity led to a pile on from sections of the party who are less than thrilled at the prospect of him running away with the leadership. “The Conservative Party membership vote should be respected. And so should Israel,” said New Brunswick MP, John Williamson, who is mulling his own leadership bid.