Rival Conservative leadership camps have accused three candidates of a “cheap trick” after Dominic Raab, Matt Hancock and Sajid Javid signed a “clean campaign” pledge which others said they had not been shown in advance.

The pledge, which promises not to launch personal attacks on other candidates, was launched by Raab with Hancock and Javid’s signatures. Rory Stewart, another of the 11 leadership contenders, tweeted that he would sign the pledge and Kit Malthouse, the housing minister, has also signed.

MP Nadine Dorries, an enthusiastic supporter of Boris Johnson’s campaign, said Johnson had not been approached to sign before the pledge was launched.

“This is not a declaration of fairness, it is a dirty tricks campaign, apparently led by Dominic Raab. I and many others would like to see better than this in No 10,” she tweeted.

At least four other leadership campaigns privately confirmed to the Guardian they had not been approached before the pledge was launched. “We still haven’t been approached,” one senior advisor said. Another said they “did not want to engage in these baiting tactics at all”.

Quick Guide Tory leadership contenders Show Jeremy Hunt His style is notably technocratic, with few rhetorical flourishes and an emphasis on his consensual approach and long record as a minister, notably during more than five years as health secretary, a traditional graveyard of ministerial careers. Hunt’s attempts to talk up a backstory as an 'underestimated' entrepreneur can fall flat given he is also the son of an admiral and was head boy at Charterhouse. Overall, Hunt’s approach can seem uninspiring and hard to pin down in terms of core beliefs, hence the 'Theresa in trousers' nickname among some Tory MPs – one that is more catchy than accurate (since May herself often wears trousers). In the final round of MP voting Hunt edged out Michael Gove, 77 votes to 75. Boris Johnson Johnson’s progress to Downing Street appeared unstoppable even before an overwhelming victory in the first round of voting among MPs. Most of his colleagues believe it is now all but inevitable that he will be Britain’s next prime minister. His well-disciplined campaign team will continue with their strategy of subjecting him to minimal media exposure, though once the field is narrowed down to two, the final pair will appear in more than a dozen head-to-head hustings for Tory members. The team’s main aim is simply to keep heads down and avoid Johnson creating headlines for the wrong reasons. It may not have worked. Johnson came first in the final round of MP voting with 160 votes.



Steve Baker, another influential Brexiter who is mulling a run for the leadership himself, also attacked the tactic. “Did you ask the other declared candidates to sign before you published this?” he tweeted. “I hope so. That cheap trick was played on Andrea Leadsom last time. Hopefully the three of you are better than that.”

The five-point pledge includes commitments that candidates will not allow third parties to spend money on online advertising, something which appeared to be a veiled dig at Johnson.

Various online campaigns have sprung up around the former foreign secretary, including one putting pressure on Conservative MPs to back Johnson, run by Paul Staines, the founder of the Guido Fawkes blog. The Guardian has also revealed that employees of Sir Lynton Crosby were running influence campaigns for a hard Brexit.

The pledge also calls on candidates to stick to spending limits, encourage supporters not to engage in social media abuse of other candidates, not to engage in personality attacks on others and not speak ill of fellow Tories.

The pledge was launched just hours before Hancock launched an expletive-laden criticism of Johnson in an interview with the Financial Times.

Referring to comments made by Johnson at a private drinks party last year, where he replied “fuck business” in response to criticism of his Brexit approach, Hancock said he would take a more business-minded approach. “To the people who say fuck business, I say fuck ‘fuck business’,” he told the paper.

At least five other candidates are known to be considering running for the leadership, including Baker, the defence secretary Penny Mordaunt, the former chief whip Mark Harper, the former international development secretary Priti Patel and the former chair of the 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady. Should they declare, it would bring the total number of candidates to 16.

Mordaunt will host a “live consultation call” with Conservative grassroots on Tuesday next week with the solicitor general Robert Buckland and George Freeman, the former chair of the prime minister’s policy board.



In an article published on Conservative Home on Wednesday, she will call for a fresh approach to a leadership campaign – but does not confirm that she will stand herself.

“The public now has to endure a parade of leadership candidates speaking to Westminster, from Westminster, about Westminster. Policy has given way to presentation,” the piece will say.



“The focus on the major challenges facing the world, and the inspiration for us all to tackle them, appears not to be driven by brave politicians but Blue Planet film-makers and schoolchildren. To be a political leader now, when we need to restore trust, confidence and hope, will take more than the usual tired routine.”

Mordaunt will say that leadership contestants must “articulate national missions” rather than factionalism. “Britain needs some humility from its leaders, not just from the candidates in this contest, but from us all.”