Boris Johnson wants ‘strict loyalty’ if he gives Rishi Sunak a top job, ally says amid discussion over ‘unity’ Tory leadership bid
- Boris Johnson was locked in late night talks about a potential political comeback
- Last night he discussed a potential ‘unity’ leadership deal with Rishi Sunak
- The former PM is arguing the reunion would avoid a divisive in-party battle
- A poll found Mr Johnson would offer Tories the best chance in a General Election
Boris Johnson was last night locked in talks about striking a ‘unity’ leadership deal with Rishi Sunak – as a Mail on Sunday poll found that the former Prime Minister would offer the Tories the best chance at a General Election.
Mr Johnson is arguing that if he were to re-enter No 10 with his former Chancellor in a senior role, it would avoid a divisive battle, sources told this newspaper.
Mr Johnson’s hand in the negotiations is strengthened as he would most likely win any ballot of Tory members.
In return for giving his former Chancellor a top job, Mr Johnson would expect ‘strict loyalty’, an ally said, and if he couldn’t secure it, he would ‘leave Rishi to it’.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Gatwick Airport in London, after travelling on a flight from the Caribbean to start talks with MPs over a potential leadership battle
Meanwhile, a Deltapoll survey for this newspaper found that if a General Election was held today, Labour would have a lead of 25 points – and an astonishing majority of 320. But if Mr Johnson were Prime Minister, the lead would be cut to ten points, with a Labour majority of just 26.
When voters were asked how they would vote if Mr Sunak were the leader, Labour had a lead of 17 points and a projected majority of 124. Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who is struggling to get enough MPs to back her bid, would lose to a Labour majority of 216.
Mr Johnson, who flew back to the UK from his Caribbean holiday yesterday, aims to join Mr Sunak in ‘an alliance in the national interest’, in the words of one supporter. However, plans for a face-to-face meeting yesterday afternoon were delayed, with both sides blaming the other for the hold-up.
The two men have been political foes since Mr Sunak’s resignation this summer helped to bring down Mr Johnson.
Boris Johnson was last night locked in talks about striking a ‘unity’ leadership deal with his former chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured)
Last night, allies of the former Chancellor questioned the Johnson camp’s claim that they had the private backing of the 100 Tory MPs needed to secure a place on the ballot. They suspect they were being ‘bluffed’ into ‘folding’ too soon.
By yesterday evening, the number of MPs offering their public backing had reached 128 for Mr Sunak, 54 for Mr Johnson and 23 for Ms Mordaunt. Mr Sunak’s supporters believe that if he wins the MPs’ backing by a large enough margin, then Mr Johnson will not feel he has the authority to submit himself to the members’ vote.
International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch became the latest MP to declare her support for Mr Sunak, describing him as ‘the man for the job’. Former No 10 chief of staff Steve Barclay and ex-Brexit Minister Lord Frost have also publicly backed Mr Sunak.
Meanwhile Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was backing Mr Johnson because he had a ‘proven track record’, joining Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in Mr Johnson’s camp. Ms Dorries tweeted about Mr Johnson’s return: ‘The boss is back.’
And writing in today’s Mail on Sunday, she says: ‘Only Boris is a proven winner. If Sunak is chosen, I fear we would enter uncharted and potentially dangerous waters.’
Mr Johnson’s father, Stanley, predicted that his son would put his name forward, saying: ‘He believes there are things to do still’, despite the lure of lucrative post-Premiership speaking offers.
‘He’s ready to give those temptations up to endure the slings and arrows,’ he said.
Mr Johnson let it be known that he was ‘up for it’ in the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation on Thursday.
After he landed at Gatwick with wife Carrie, he headed to Westminster’s Millbank Tower, a few hundred yards from where Mr Sunak was based, and hit the phones to round up support from MPs, including from those who have already publicly backed Mr Sunak or Ms Mordaunt.
Ms Patel said that under Mr Johnson, the Tories won the ‘biggest mandate in a generation’, adding in a statement: ‘Boris has a proven track record getting the big decisions right, standing up for Ukraine and our values.’
But Dominic Raab, who was Deputy Prime Minister under Mr Johnson, said his former boss would be distracted by the Commons ‘Partygate’ probe if he were to become Prime Minister again.
Mr Raab said: ‘The issue is that within days of us having a new Prime Minister, which is, at the latest, next Friday, the Committee on Privileges and Conduct is going to start taking oral testimony, including from Boris.’
He added that ‘it doesn’t seem possible’ for a Prime Minister to ‘give the country the attention that it requires’ while that inquiry is ongoing, adding: ‘We’d be back in the groundhog day of Partygate. We’ve got to have the country and the Government moving forward.’
Mr Raab is backing Mr Sunak, saying he ‘has the broadest appeal’ and ‘can restore trust’.
Joe Twyman, Deltapoll’s co-founder, said: ‘Among those vying for the Conservative leadership, it is Boris Johnson who leads the pack. It is, however, a demonstration of the difficulty the Conservative Government are in that no candidate would be able to prevent a Labour majority as things stand.’
- Deltapoll interviewed 1,533 British adults online between October 19 and 21. The data has been weighted to be representative of the British adult population as a whole.
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