How many Tory MPs are there and what does Boris Johnson need to launch Prime Minister bid?

Boris Johnson‘s comeback bandwagon is gathering pace today as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race and said he is ‘leaning’ towards supporting the former Prime Minister.

With Mr Johnson flying home from holiday in the Caribbean, Mr Wallace became the latest senior figure lining up behind a shock return – just six weeks after he was ousted from power amid a flood of ministerial resignations over Partygate and sleaze. 

Mr Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt look best-placed to hit the high threshold of 100 nominations from MPs needed to feature on the Tory leadership ballot.  

But it is possible only one or two will make the numbers by the Monday afternoon deadline. 

Some have speculated Mr Johnson could rack up as many as 140 out of the 357 Conservative MPs – making him all but unstoppable. 

However, critics believe his fans are noisy rather than numerous, predicting he will fall short of 100. Tallies suggest Mr Sunak has 53 backers, while Mr Johnson is on 34 and Ms Mordaunt 17. The former chancellor unveiled Gavin Williamson and Liam Fox as his latest additions this afternoon.

Mr Wallace made clear he would be insisting on increases in military spending as the price of his support.  

‘The reasons I gave last time for not standing, have not changed. I will be looking to all candidates to recognise that you cannot have economic security at home without national security. This requires real investment for our Armed Forces and intelligence agencies,’ he tweeted.

In an interview he also referred to the ongoing inquiry into whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament over Partygate.

‘This will be potentially our third prime minister since the general election of 2019, that means we have to think about that legitimacy question that the public will be asking themselves, and also about who could win the next election – that’s obviously important for any political party at the time,’ he said.

‘So at the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson. I think he will still have some questions to answer around, obviously, that investigation, but I know when I was Secretary of State for Defence, he invested in defence, he supported me, he supported the actions this country has taken to keep us safe.’

Mr Johnson is returning from the Dominican Republic as he ‘takes soundings’ on whether to run to take over after the humiliating resignation of Liz Truss. 

But in a blow, Tory MP and former ally Crispin Blunt warned Mr Johnson has ‘personality weaknesses’ alongside an ‘astonishing set of skills’. ‘I don’t think we can go back there for the next two years,’ the former minister told Sky News.

There are also concerns that some centrist MPs could resign the Tory whip or even defect in protest as they regard him as unacceptable to lead. That could open the door for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to force a snap election and trigger a Conservative wipeout.

A staggering poll today shows the Tories 39 points behind Labour, at their lowest ever rating. 

Meanwhile, the grim backdrop to the latest civil war was laid bare, with figures showing the government’s interest costs on the £2.4trillion debt mountain hit a September record, as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt scrambles to put together £40billion of spending cuts for a Halloween Budget.  

Mr Johnson’s former spin doctor Will Walden said this morning that Mr Johnson ‘absolutely hates to lose’ and will not formally run if he looks short of the 100 threshold. ‘If he thinks he has a chance of winning with the members then he will run,’ he added. 

Mr Johnson could become only the third prime minister in modern political history to return for a second stint after leaving office, following in the footsteps of his hero – Winston Churchill  – and Labour’s Harold Wilson. 

But he is a deeply divisive figure with the public and on the Tory benches. One critic branded him an ‘ego on sticks’ and another urged him to ‘go back to the beach’.

Another MP said it would be ‘f***ing madness’ to bring him back and some colleagues could choose to defect if he won. ‘It ended in chaos with 57 ministers resigning. He lost the confidence of the parliamentary party,’ they added. 

But a Boris-supporting former Cabinet minister shot back: ‘If we lose 10 MPs we’ve still got a majority of 51… he’s got the stardust that the others simply do not have.’ 

In a bid to heal divisions in the party, Mr Johnson’s allies are reaching out to Mr Sunak, saying they should ‘get back together’. 

The remarkable olive branch follows months of feuding after the former chancellor was accused of ‘knifing Boris in the back’ when he dramatically left his Cabinet position, sparking a wave of resignations that ultimately toppled Mr Johnson’s premiership. 

Tory MP Paul Bristow, a key Johnson backer, told LBC today: ‘I think we need to bring the band back together. These are two big beasts in our party and it makes absolute sense for them to be working together.’ 

Friends of Mr Sunak dampened hopes of a reunion, as he seeks an alliance with Ms Mordaunt. But she is said to be resisting ‘playing second fiddle’. 

Sources close to Ms Mordaunt told MailOnline that ‘conversations with colleagues are looking positive’. 

The frenzied jostling came as: 

• The Conservative Party website has ditched all mention of Liz Truss, and removed merchandise from its shop; 
• Ms Truss is said to be planning a resignation honours list despite facing calls to give up her £115,000-a-year allowance for running an ex-PM office; 
• Suella Braverman is weighing up whether to launch a leadership bid, but Kemi Badenoch appears to have backed away from the idea;
• New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove have ruled themselves out of the contest, as did newly appointed Home Secretary Grant Shapps;
• Labour called for an immediate election, with leader Sir Keir saying the country deserved ‘a chance at a fresh start’ after months of chaos;
• Tory chiefs said Conservative Party members will decide the outcome of the contest in an online vote if MPs put forward more than one candidate;
• The status of the Halloween Budget has been thrown into doubt, with Treasury sources acknowledging the new PM could cancel the plan to tackle a £40billion hole in the public finances.

With Boris Johnson (left) flying home from holiday in the Caribbean, Ben Wallace (right) became the latest senior figure lining up behind a shock return 

According to the ConservativeHome tally, Mr Sunak is the current front runner with 35 openly declared, while Mr Johnson has 19 and Ms Mordaunt 11

Rishi Sunak (left) is gearing up for another bid to take over at No 10 after the humiliating resignation of Liz Truss (right)

Mr Johnson is making his ability to win elections the cornerstone of his pitch after securing the biggest Tory majority for decades in 2019.

His closest allies were frantically ringing round MPs for support last night, including ‘Mr Fixit’ Nigel Adams, while Conservative MP Paul Bristow told the World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 that it was ‘definitely realistic’ he would reach 100 votes to make it onto the PM ballot. 

His sister Rachel Johnson told BBC Question Time that if he wants to run ‘wild horses won’t stop him’.

But she said Sir Keir was now ‘PM in waiting’ and predicted he will win the next election.

Another friend of Mr Johnson warned he was ‘walking into a s**t show he can’t control’, adding: ‘In autumn next year the party will be on its knees.’ 

However others were more optimistic, with Tory MP for Rochford and Southend East James Duddridge writing on Twitter: ‘Hope you enjoyed your holiday boss. Time to come back. Few issues at the office that need addressing. #BringBackBoris.’ 

A close political friend of the former PM told the Daily Mail he was ‘rested’, ‘in great spirits’ and ‘itching to take the fight to Keir Starmer’.

A close ally of Mr Sunak said there would be a ‘natural logic’ to him facing off against Mr Johnson, adding: ‘It will be a battle for the soul of the party.’

But the path to No 10 is not straightforward. The idea of Mr Johnson returning appears to have created a rift among Tory MPs, with some threatening to quit the party and trigger by-elections in their seats. 

One moderate ex-minister fumed: ‘If that ego-on-sticks becomes leader of the Tory party I will surrender the whip. Many of us will not stand for that man’s leadership.’ And Tory MP John Baron simply said: ‘I would find it impossible to serve under Boris.’

Former party chairman David Davis told LBC that Mr Johnson should ‘go back to the beach, frankly.’ 

The Partygate enquiry headed by Labour’s Harriet Harman, set to start in November, could prove troublesome for a Mr Johnson premiership. 

According to The Sun, Downing Street has handed over a slew of documents, emails, pictures and messages to the Commons privileges committee for its probe.

One insider told the newspaper the evidence was so damning it could lead to a Commons suspension, adding: ‘Boris is screwed.’ 

Requests for Mr Johnson to give evidence in person also raise the risk of a damaging hearing even if he returns to power. 

Ms Mordaunt is not currently working on a leadership bid, though the Cabinet minister is ‘taking soundings’ from colleagues on the prospect of her standing to replace Ms Truss, an ally said.

A source close to the Commons Leader said: ‘It’s a testament to Penny’s campaign over the summer how many colleagues have already come out asking her to stand.

‘At the moment there isn’t a campaign but Penny has always been the candidate that can unite the party, deliver and beat Labour.

‘At the moment she’s been taking soundings from her colleagues and has been busy speaking to as many as she can.’

Supporters among Tory MPs argue Mr Johnson is the only potential candidate with a mandate to govern after winning a large Commons majority in 2019, and say this would diminish calls from Labour for a fresh general election.

A YouGov poll earlier this week found that Mr Johnson being handed back the keys to No 10 was the most preferred option among Tory party members if Ms Truss resigned.

But many MPs are opposed to him making a comeback because he has the Partygate inquiry hanging over him. 

It is probing whether he deliberately misled Parliament about Downing Street parties during the Covid pandemic – and he could be booted out as an MP were it to find against him, potentially plunging the Tories into fresh chaos.

A staggering poll today shows the Tories 39 points behind Labour, at their lowest ever rating

Penny Mordaunt (left) and Suella Braverman (right) are both considering fresh tilts at the top job

Rachel Johnson told BBC Question Time that if he wants to run ‘wild horses won’t stop him’. But she said Keir Starmer was now ‘PM in waiting’ and predicted he will win the next election

If he won the leadership, Mr Johnson could organise a Commons vote on a motion for the probe to be quashed. If he whipped Tory MPs and won this, the threat would be eliminated. However, the leadership race rules mean candidates will only reach the ballot paper if they get the support of 100 MPs.

Several MPs said they don’t believe Mr Johnson will reach the threshold, with one saying the ‘brutal truth’ is he is likely to get no more than 60.

It meant Mr Johnson was being advised by some close friends not to run. But among those supporting a comeback by the ex-PM was former minister and Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland.

He said: ‘My inbox is full of people asking for us to bring back Boris.

‘Over 25,000 people backed our mandate in Stevenage in 2019 and I would like to see us deliver it for local people.

‘I am not aware he has made any decisions but they are asking and I am relaying their requests to bring back Boris.’

Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, said he was also supporting Mr Johnson. Fellow Tory Paul Bristow said: ‘We need an election winner and we had an election winner, so as far as I’m concerned I will listen to my constituents, and their message was “bring back Boris”.’

Michael Fabricant tweeted: ‘To be clear: he may not be the first choice of MPs (I may be wrong) but he most certainly is amongst the membership.

‘He’s a winner and the only MP with legitimacy having been overwhelmingly elected by the country. Without him calls for a general election will grow.’ 

Nadine Dorries, one of Mr Johnson’s most loyal allies, tweeted yesterday: ‘One person was elected by the British public with a manifesto and a mandate until January 2025… MPs must demand [the] return of Boris Johnson.’

Former party chairman Andrew Stephenson also appeared to back Mr Johnson, tweeting: ‘During the last leadership contest [this summer] as party chairman I received countless emails from Conservative members wanting Boris on the ballot. Constitutionally that was impossible. Now it isn’t.’

But one ex-Cabinet minister said the Tories need to rebuild credibility with voters, and it would be wrong for Mr Johnson to come back as PM and then attempt to axe the Commons privileges committee inquiry. 

‘It would be like a re-run of Owen Paterson,’ the senior MP said, referring to the disastrous attempt a year ago by Mr Johnson’s administration to spare one of his allies punishment for lobbying.

Meanwhile, Mr Baron told the BBC he believes there could be ‘more than a few’ backbenchers who would give up the party whip.

Sir Roger Gale, another opponent, said: ‘We need to remember that Mr Johnson is still under investigation by the privileges committee for potentially misleading the House. Until that investigation is complete and he is found guilty or cleared, there should be no possibility of him returning to Government.’ 

Mr Johnson, MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, was forced to resign in July after losing the confidence of his MPs and Cabinet ministers.

It came after a series of controversies, including being fined by Scotland Yard for breaching lockdown rules in Downing Street during the pandemic.

But it came to a head when his deputy chief whip Chris Pincher was accused of groping two men while ‘incredibly drunk’ at the Carlton Club in London.

Mr Johnson later admitted knowing about separate allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr Pincher. It sparked the resignation of Mr Sunak and other ministers.

Only Boris Johnson can stop Tories turning into a Blairite blancmange, writes MICK HUME 

 By Mick Hume for The Daily Mail

What a mess! After ousting Boris Johnson just three months ago in an act of tragic self-harm, the Conservative Party is now in an even worse state than before.

Amid economic chaos and polling that indicates near-total wipeout at the next election, the Tories seem unable to present a successor to Liz Truss to unite their warring factions.

But there is, of course, one obvious candidate – the only politician in Britain who can claim any sort of mandate to govern the country and calm this turmoil.

I am talking about Johnson himself. The Tory Prime Minister who, let me remind you, won a staggering 14million votes less than three years ago. It is time to say what many of those voters will surely be thinking – bring back Boris! I am no Tory loyalist. I have no vested interest in saving the Conservative Party from ruin. But I do want what’s best for Britain and British democracy.

Boris is, quite clearly, the only MP with a track record of strong leadership when it comes to big policy issues and the ability to unite his party with an 80-seat majority.

He may currently be persona non grata in Westminster salons, but many polls now show Boris to be the overwhelming choice among Conservative members – and many Brits outside the party.

That’s because Boris is the only Tory leader with any hope of getting the Government through the terrible mess which lies ahead. And it really would be terrible.

In an act of revenge for the EU referendum result, the same Establishment Blob that forced Johnson from office has effectively now staged a Whitehall coup – chasing out Brexiteer ministers such as Suella Braverman, installing arch-Remainer Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor and ousting the hapless Miss Truss, who had, for all her vices, tried to implement what she believed to be a truly Right-wing set of policies.

They have jettisoned much of the programme on which Boris won the election in December 2019 and, in the process, sucked the Tory Party back into a shapeless Blairite blancmange.

That is not the vision of Conservatism that people voted for in 2019 – and they wouldn’t vote for it next time round. Indeed, we would undoubtedly see a landslide for Starmer and his Lefty cabal of chaos, from the illiberal Lib Dems to Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish nationalists. And, piece by piece, everything this country voted for – from getting Brexit properly done, to doing away with identity politics, lowering immigration and driving down taxes – would be dismantled or overturned.

We would witness Keir ‘I don’t know what a woman is’ Starmer going back, cap-in-hand, to Brussels; untrammelled wokery on the march; the break-up of the Union; and our public finances shot in a way that would make the current situation look relatively stable. We would be left living in an Athens-on-Thames economy without the sunshine.

The only person who has any chance of stopping all this is Boris. He would, no doubt, face a tough fight – but who else is there? The horrified Establishment will protest. The return of a leader so soon would be unprecedented. But unprecedented times call for extraordinary measures. So, for the sake of Britain – for the sake of democracy itself – we must bring back Boris!

Mick Hume is author of Revolting! How The Establishment Are Undermining Democracy And What They’re Afraid Of (Collins)

Who takes over now? Tory leadership election will last just a WEEK and new leader will be installed by Friday 28 October as party squabbles over who can be the ‘unity candidate’ 

Liz Truss‘s bombshell resignation today sets up a lighting fast election for a new Tory leader with no obvious unity candidate to take over.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are both considering a new run at power in the contest that Tories hope will select a new leader by Friday October 28.

This would put the new leader in place in time for a crucial financial statement on October 31 which is intended to reassure the City of London that the Government has a plan to repair the nation’s finances.

Sir Graham said there was an expectation that Tory members would be involved in the process but ‘I think we’re deeply conscious of the imperative in the national interest of resolving this clearly and quickly’.

The party is keen to avoid a re-run of the summer’s bitter and protracted 55-day race in which Ms Truss beat Mr Sunak. 

That race saw both sides engage in bitter blue-on-blue infighting, mainly over the economy, that did not help the party in the polls. 

Ms Truss spent more than an hour in talks with 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, Tory chairman Jake Berry and deputy PM Therese Coffey this morning.

Afterwards, announcing her resignation after just 44 days she revealed they had agreed a truncated election campaign lasting a week.

Sir Graham told reporters that he wants to run it, including possibly a vote of 160,000 party members, before the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt makes the fiscal statement on spending on October 31. 

Asked if the party faithful will be included in the process, he told reporters: ‘Well, that is the expectation.

‘So the reason I’ve spoken to the party chairman and I discussed the parameters of a process is to look at how we can make the whole thing happen, including the party being consulted, by Friday next week.’

Sir Graham added: ‘I think we’re deeply conscious of the imperative in the national interest of resolving this clearly and quickly.’

They appear to be pinning their hopes on a single unity candidate can be identified who can effectively step in and avoid any further unpleasantness, with the party hemorrhaging support in the polls.

However, that unity candidate has yet to emerge, with several big names suggesting it should be them. 

Those in the frame include Mr Sunak, the former chancellor, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Liz Truss’s bombshell resignation today sets up a lighting fast election for a new Tory leader with no obvious unity candidate to take over.

The former prime minister, who was forced out of Downing Street in the summer after a scandal-plagued three years in charge, is believed to be sounding out advice on mounting a comeback.

The party is keen to avoid a re-run of the summer’s bitter and protracted 55-day race in which Ms Truss beat Mr Sunak.

Those in the frame include Mr Sunak and (top to bottom) Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

The the main obstacle remains the lack of consensus on who should take over and what the process should be, with little appetite for a drawn-out contest. There are signs leadership battle lines are already being drawn, with former minister Crispin Blunt openly calling for Jeremy Hunt to get the keys to No10.

Nadine Dorries warned the only person who could return in a ‘coronation’ is Boris Johnson. Other MPs want Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt to take over.

One senior MP, not previously a fan of the ex-PM, told MailOnline Sir Graham has to come up with a ‘plan’. ‘Bring back Boris or get Jeremy Hunt in. If you get Boris back in you just hit the reset button,’ they said.

One idea being pushed by influential Tories is that MPs vote on a successor, but there is a very high threshold of nominations to get on the ballot.

The 1922 committee could ask candidates to agree that they will step aside if they are not in pole position when the field is whittled down to a final two. That would avoid the need for a run-off vote of the entire party membership.

A source said of the blueprint: ‘That has been put to someone very senior in the party, very, very senior.’

Ms Truss has said she will stay on as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen via a leadership election to be held within the next week.

Speaking in Downing Street, she said: ‘This morning I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.

‘We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.

‘This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plan and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.

‘I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.

‘Thank you.’

Here we look at who could take over power: 

BORIS JOHNSON 

Could Boris Johnson make an unlikely come-back just three months after resigning in disgrace?

He was eventually pulled from office after a massive ministerial rebellion in July, after Partygate, Wallpapergate and a myriad of other scandals including the removal of whip Chris Pincher pulled down his premiership.

But he still has his supporters in the parliamentary party and wider conservative ranks – though polls show a majority of voters believe he was right to quit.

One MPO told MailOnline he could be the best solution to the problems the party faces.

‘If you can find a unity candidate you are a better man than I,’ the former minister said. ‘There isn’t one. It is a funny kind of strength.

‘The membership didn’t want to get ride of Boris… They would welcome it. He is the only one with a personality that can appeal to anybody.’

They added: ‘He is like Heineken. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility.’

Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of the former prime minister and a backer of Liz Truss, made a fresh appeal to doubting Conservative MPs to stand behind the current leader. But the former Culture Secretary said ‘only one MP has a mandate’ from both the Tory party and the British public – Mr Johnson

However defence minister James Heappey threw shade at the ex-PM today.  The  Armed Forces Minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there was no alternative unity candidate and defended Ms Truss, saying that at least she had apologised quicker than Boris Johnson did when he was prime minister.

Last night Tory plotters were told to reinstate Mr Johnson to No 10 or face a general election ‘within weeks’.

Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of the former prime minister and a backer of Ms Truss, made a fresh appeal to doubting Conservative MPs to stand behind the current leader.

In recent weeks she has called for Ms Truss to hold a fresh election if she was insistent on wavering over her predecessor’s policies.

But the former Culture Secretary said ‘only one MP has a mandate’ from both the Tory party and the British public – Mr Johnson.

RISHI SUNAK 

The former Chancellor, 42, was the runner-up in this summer’s Tory leadership race.

He and Ms Truss went head-to-head as the final pairing in the contest to replace Boris Johnson in No10.

They engaged in bitter exchanges over their economic agendas during a lengthy series of hustings events across the UK.

Now that Ms Truss has abandoned almost all her leadership pledges on tax cuts – and is adopting much of the approach pursued by Mr Sunak when he was Chancellor – some MPs will be wondering why they don’t just put him in charge instead.

A number of his supporters are also likely to take a ‘told you so’ attitude to the Government’s current travails – after Mr Sunak’s warned this summer of market turmoil if Ms Truss followed through with her unfunded tax cuts.

Mr Sunak won the support of 137 MPs in the initial stages of the Tory leadership contest – 24 more than Ms Truss – and retains a strong backing within the parliamentary party.

After overseeing the Government’s economic response to the Covid crisis, he also has experience of political leadership in turbulent times.

MPs might be wary of installing a leader who was rejected by the Tory membership little more than a month ago.

There is also lingering resentment at Mr Sunak for his resignation as Chancellor in July, which many of Mr Johnson’s loyalists still blame for the former PM’s ousting from No10.

But a new poll today suggests the grassroots of the party may be more accepting than previously thought. 

The poll of Conservative members by JL Partners for the Daily Telegraph found that 60 per cent of them would now back Mr Sunak for party leader, once undecided and non-voting members are excluded. More than four-in-10 (43 per cent) would support him outright, to Truss’s (28 per cent)

JEREMY HUNT 

The 55-year-old was a shock appointment as the new Chancellor on Friday following Ms Truss’s sacking of her ally Kwasi Kwarteng.

He is now being referred to among some Tory MPs as the ‘de facto PM’ after he tore up what remained of Ms Truss’s mini-Budget plans and outlined a completely new economic agenda.

Mr Hunt is being talked up as a potential ‘unity’ candidate behind which the competing wings of the Conservative Party could rally behind, amid the current economic crisis.

He is an experienced Cabinet minister and is the longest-serving Health Secretary in British political history following his spell in charge of the NHS between 2012 and 2018.

Mr Hunt has also previously served as Foreign Secretary and Culture Secretary and would be seen as a safe pair of hands.

Jeremy Hunt has replaced Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor – but he has ruled out a tilt at the top job and urged MPs to give Ms Truss ‘a chance’

There have been suggestions he could enter No10 as a ‘caretaker’ PM to steady the ship before another leader is elected.

But Mr Hunt himself is distancing himself from talk about his leadership chances and has ruled out a tilt at the top job as he called on MPs to give Ms Truss ‘a chance’.

‘I rule it out, Mrs Hunt rules it out, three Hunt children rule it out,’ he told Sky News.

During this summer’s Tory leadership contest, Mr Hunt was knocked out in the first round of voting by MPs when he attracted the support of just 18 colleagues.

It is this recent demonstration of a paucity of support for Mr Hunt – who went on to support Mr Sunak against Ms Truss – among Conservative MPs that would count against him if he changed his mind.

He was previously the runner-up to Mr Johnson in the 2019 Tory leadership election, in which he was roundly rejected by Tory members.

Following his elimination from this summer’s contest, Mr Hunt had appeared to admit his hopes of ever seizing the Tory crown were over.

‘It’s become obvious to me you only get one big shot at this, and I had mine in 2019.’ he said at the time. 

PENNY MORDAUNT 

The Leader of the House of Commons, 49, came close to reaching the final round of this summer’s Tory leadership contest.

She finished third behind Ms Truss and Mr Sunak when she secured the support of 105 MPs.

The Royal Navy reservist has since been drafted back into the Cabinet, where she previously served as Defence Secretary under Theresa May’s premiership.

But, this summer’s leadership contest saw questions raised about Ms Mordaunt’s ministerial record.

There was stinging criticism of Ms Mordaunt’s work ethic as she was accused of going missing from her ministerial duties by rival camps.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who was Ms Mordaunt’s former boss, moaned about she had ‘not been available’ at various times as a trade minister and left others to ‘pick up the pieces’.

Penny Mordaunt finished third behind Ms Truss and Mr Sunak in this summer’s Tory leadership contest when she secured the support of 105 MPs

It was claimed Ms Mordaunt had instead spent her time focusing on preparations for her leadership campaign.

She also had to fight hard during the Tory leadership contest against criticism of her stance on trans issues, including her past claim that ‘trans women are women’.

Ms Mordaunt blasted critics trying to depict her as ‘woke’.

One suggestion at Westminster is the possibility of Ms Mordaunt teaming up with Mr Sunak as part of a joint ticket to replace Ms Truss.

But plotters are said to be undecided on who would be PM out of the pair, if they were to front a ‘government of all the talents’ between them.

Last night it was reported that Ms Mordaunt’s allies reached out to Mr Sunak to be her chancellor, but were rebuffed.

BEN WALLACE

The 52-year-old is popular with Tory members following the Defence Secretary’s efforts in leading Britain’s military response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He is also being spoken of as a ‘unity’ candidate to bring the party back together, should Ms Truss depart.

The former Army officer has routinely topped the polls among the Conservatives grassroots.

But he did not enter this summer’s leadership contest after ‘careful consideration’ and later backed Ms Truss.

At this month’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mr Wallace admitted he was ‘conflicted’ about a possible leadership bid in the future. 

He told a fringe event: ‘At this time of life, the idea was no. I mean do I rule it out? No. I don’t rule it out, but will I be here in a few years’ time? I don’t know either.’

The 52-year-old is popular with Tory members following the Defence Secretary’s efforts in leading Britain’s military response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Wallace might be popular with Tory members, but would be less well-known to members of the public as he has only been a Cabinet minister since 2019.

Tory MPs might also fear he is untested as he has never held one of the ‘great offices of state’ as Mrs May, Mr Johnson and Ms Truss all had before they entered No10. 

Mr Wallace has also been touted as a possible successor to NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

Last night be repeated his desire to stay at defence, telling the Times: ‘I want to be the Secretary of State for Defence until I finish. I love the job I do and we have more to do. I want the Prime Minister to be the Prime Minister and I want to do this job.’

He added: ‘I say to the colleagues who think our role is to feed the instability within the party, by proposing other people as leaders no matter who they are, (you) are doing a disservice.

‘The markets are responding at the moment in the UK to unsurety about the Government. The best way to give those markets some confidence is for people to stop playing political parlour games.’ 

SUELLA BRAVERMAN

Suella Braverman was only in the Home Office for a matter of weeks but she spent most of it seemingly positioning herself for a tilt at another job – that of prime minister. 

The hardline Brexiteer was handed the top job as an acknowledgement of her popularity with the right of the party in the summer leadership contest, and for switching to Team Truss when she was knocked out. 

But during her tenure she made a series of outbursts that put her at odds with Liz Truss, raising suggestions she was positioning herself for the next leadership race. 

In a letter, Ms Braverman said she was resigning for breaching processes by sending an email from her personal account about a forthcoming ministerial statement on immigration.

But in another hammer blow for the PM’s chances of clinging on, she also complained that the government was breaking promises. She swiped that when people made ‘mistakes’ – something Ms Truss has admitted – the right thing to do was quit.

They had a huge bust-up over visas policy last night. The 42-year-old mother-of two hit the headlines just yesterday with a rant against the ‘tofu-eating wokerati’ for effectively preventing police from arresting eco-zealots who have caused mayhem and misery during weeks of protest.

The hardline Brexiteer was handed the top job as an acknowledgement of her popularity with the right of the party in the summer leadership contest, and for switching to Team Truss when she was knocked out.

She hit out at MPs who voted against tough new measures to strengthen police powers to deal with activists more quickly.

Addressing the Commons as MPs debated the Public Order Bill, Mrs Braverman said: ‘I’m afraid it’s the Labour Party, it’s the Lib Dems, it’s the coalition of chaos, it’s the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati – dare I say, the anti-growth coalition – that we have to thank for the disruption we are seeing on our roads today.’

Her comments came as police arrested two Just Stop Oil protesters who spent 36 hours suspended from the QEII bridge, closing a major transport link between Kent and Essex due to safety fears.

At the Conservative Party conference a fortnight ago she also attacked the PM for U-turning over plans to axe the 45p top rate of income tax.

She launched a swipe as the PM tried to regain her balance, branding the U-turn on axing the 45p tax rate ‘disappointing’ and accusing rebels of a ‘coup’.

She was also blamed recently for jeopardizing a free trade deal with India by accusing its people of being the worst at overstaying visas in the UK.