Tory leadership race: Liz Truss wins support of Andrew RT Davies to become next prime minister

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies has backed Liz Truss in the contest to take over from Boris Johnson as party leader and prime minister.

Until now, he has resisted endorsing either of the candidates.

In a tweet, he said: "I don’t often sit on the fence. I’m backing Liz Truss to unite our party and our country."

Mr Davies has also written a joint article with a senior Tory from Scotland and one from Northern Ireland in the Daily Mail.

Mr Davies, Stephen Kerr, chief whip for the Scottish Conservative Group, and Matthew Robinson, chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, say they believe Liz Truss can unite the party and the country. 

They write that: "she has a plan to deliver on the 2019 promise our party made to level up – this includes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as much as it does towns in the north of England and rural areas in the south.

"Her low-tax, low-regulation investment zones will drive investment into all four corners of our nation by making our regions extra-attractive to businesses that will bring jobs, growth and opportunity."She also understands the investments required in rail and transport infrastructure to grow our economy, modernise transport networks and unite our Union.

"Liz understands that if Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland prosper, so does the Union. And we know that if it does well, so do our nations – we are one and the same."Ultimately we believe that Liz is right to take our party and country forward because she is the best placed to bring what we need above all else – unity."We cannot hope to strengthen the ties of our Union, to deliver for the whole country, without uniting."

Andrew RT Davies becomes the latest senior Welsh Conservative to back Liz Truss. 

The current Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland and one of his predecessors, Alun Cairns, both switched from supporting Rishi Sunak.