But he added that if Rishi Sunak won, he would have his support. He adds that he hopes Mordaunt will pick up the phone to Rishi today in order to strike a deal. Yet in the words of the Ukrainian soldier Gadfly, "what choice do we have"? irannews.ru/ - irannews.ru The challenge at home This was unprecedented in the post-Mao era. "It's amazing how China continues these lockdowns for so long - they are incredibly wrenching," says Professor Dali Yang at Chicago University who has been studying the zero-Covid policy Xi has personally endorsed. It was at this time - during a trade war between China and the EU over textile quotas - that I got a rare invitation to interview the commerce minister. Such interviews with top Chinese officials were excruciatingly dull, but this was the opposite. "Once the firing starts it's three deep breaths, a couple of swear words and you move on." I was told that the MP John Penrose, who is backing Mordaunt, said that for the good of the party, the vote must go to the Tory members - in other words, Penny Mordaunt should not drop out. Fear and loyalty has led to "over-compliance and over-implementation of what Xi himself originally wanted", Ms Shirk says.