Has Liz Truss won the tussle with Raab over Chevening?
Has Liz Truss won the tussle with Raab over Chevening? New Foreign Secretary uses grace-and-favour mansion to entertain Baltic counterparts – as No10 insists deputy PM is NOT running the country while Boris holidays in Spain
- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss using Chevening for talks with ministers from Baltics
- Claims Dominic Raab wanted to cling to grace-and-favour estate after reshuffle
- No10 insisted deputy PM is not running the country while Boris holidays in Spain
Liz Truss appears to have emerged victorious in the tussle with Dominic Raab over using the grace-and-favour Chevening mansion.
A laughing Foreign Secretary welcomed counterparts from Baltic states for talks at the Kent estate today.
The property had become a point of tension amid claims Mr Raab was trying to cling on to it despite being shifted to Justice Secretary in the reshuffle.
Downing Street refused to be drawn on whether Mr Raab was being denied use of the opulent residence, merely saying the arrangements will be set out ‘in due course’.
Meanwhile, No10 has insisted Mr Raab – made deputy PM in the Cabinet overhaul as a consolation – is not in charge of the government while Boris Johnson is on holiday.
Edgars Rinkvis (left), Gabrielius Landsbergis (centre) and Eva-Maria Liimets (right) – foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia respectively – were all at Chevening today
Ms Truss welcomes Mr Landsbergis for talks at Chevening today
The property had become a point of tension amid claims Mr Raab (pictured at Tory conference) was trying to cling on to it despite being shifted to Justice Secretary in the reshuffle
The premier’s spokesman stressed he remains at the helm even though he is at a luxury resort with wife Carrie and their son Wilf in Spain.
Edgars Rinkvis, Gabrielius Landsbergis and Eva-Maria Liimets – foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia respectively – were all at Chevening today.
Ms Truss replaced Mr Raab in last month’s Cabinet reshuffle after he was roundly criticised for being on holiday while Afghanistan tumbled to the Taliban.
The 115-room Chevening House is traditionally used by the Foreign Secretary.
However Mr Raab was said to believe that he should keep rights over the house for official visits.
Lib Dem ex-leader Nick Clegg had used of the property as deputy PM during the coalition years.
The wrangling prompted briefing from allies of Ms Truss that her predecessor was being ‘ridiculous’.
One senior source told MailOnline today that Ms Truss’s meeting was ‘always supposed to be at Chevening’ and using the property was ‘business as usual’.
‘We’re focused on getting on with the job rather than debates about houses,’ the source said.
‘Liz inherited this meeting when she became foreign sec – it was always supposed to be at Chevening, so it’s very much business as usual.
No10 has insisted Mr Raab – made deputy PM in the Cabinet overhaul as a consolation – is not in charge of the government while Boris Johnson is on holiday with wife Carrie (pictured together last week)
Ms Truss and Mr Raab sat next to each other for the PM’s speech to Tory conference last week
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