Boris Johnson tells Tories: I can save party from election wipeout

Boris Johnson is privately urging Conservative MPs to back him for a dramatic return to Downing Street with a pledge that only he can win the Tories the next election.

The former prime minister is pressing Rishi Sunak to reach out and “get back together” in a remarkable olive branch after their public falling out at the top of government.

Mr Sunak was pulling narrowly ahead of Mr Johnson among Tory MP nominations on Thursday night in a bid to claim the leadership victory he missed last month.

Liz Truss quit on Thursday after just 44 days in Number 10, accepting the near total collapse of support among colleagues and becoming the shortest serving prime minister in British history.

In an 89-second resignation speech in Downing Street, Ms Truss admitted: “I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

Sunak leads declarations

The battle to replace Liz Truss is already raging, with Tory MPs declaring for Mr Sunak, Mr Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, the House of Commons leader.

Mr Sunak was leading on 29 Tory MP declarations on Thursday night, followed by 24 for Mr Johnson and 11 for Ms Mordaunt.

More candidates are weighing a launch but time is limited. Only MPs who secure nominations from 100 of the close to 360 Tory MPs will make it into the first round.

The hopefuls have until 2pm on Monday to gather the numbers. The final two candidates - if there are two who get above the threshold  - will go to a members’ vote, with a winner declared next Friday.

The news that Mr Johnson, ousted from office after more than 50 ministerial resignations just three months ago, was considering joining the race immediately split Tory MP colleagues.

There are doubts over whether Mr Johnson can hit the 100 MP threshold given how support drained from him earlier this year. Party chiefs had to deny the rules were designed to block him.

Also looming is the Privileges Committee investigation into whether Mr Johnson misled MPs about lockdown-breaking social gatherings in No10 dubbed “Partygate”. It is set to start gathering evidence within weeks.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, reacted to Ms Truss’s departure by declaring: "We need a general election - now." Labour sources say they will keep making the demand.

'They need to take the fight to Labour'

The Telegraph can reveal that Mr Johnson has put his ability to win elections - he secured the biggest Tory majority for three decades in 2019 - at the heart of his pitch.

An ally of Mr Johnson told the Telegraph: “If the Tories are serious about winning in 2024 and want to stop a general election before then they need to revert to the guy with a mandate who is a seasoned campaigner.

"They need someone to take the fight to Labour. There’s no point going to a yellow box junction without knowing how you are going to get out of it. Rishi should make contact and work out how the two of them can get back together.”

Joy - and despair - among Tories

Mr Johnson is flying back from a holiday in the Caribbean as early as Friday and a meeting of backers for a campaign led by Jacob Rees-Mogg is being organised for Saturday.

No prime minister has returned for a second stint after leaving office since Labour’s Harold Wilson and before that Sir Winston Churchill, Mr Johnson’s British political icon.

An outpouring of support from a rump of loyal Johnson supporters broke out online. "Hope you enjoyed your holiday boss. Time to come back,” tweeted Tory MP James Duddridge.

But others in the party were left despairing. Some threatened to quit the party and trigger by-elections.  One moderate Conservative ex-minister said: "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."

Tory MP John Baron said: “I would find it impossible to serve under Boris.”

A fierce three days of horse trading and back-stabbing is approaching, with the Conservative Party plunged into a second internal leadership battle in four months.

Mr Sunak is the early front-runner. The former chancellor won the MPs stage of the leadership race in the summer only to lose out to Ms Truss in the Tory members’ vote.

His supporters are already framing his candidacy as the steady hand for serious times, noting he warned about the danger of debt-fuelled tax cuts that Ms Truss then pursued.

Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister, declared his support for Mr Sunak, tweeting:

Backers of rival candidates are arguing he was rejected by Tory members only last month and repeated the “back-stabber” allegation against him, given that he quit and helped topple Mr Johnson.

Ms Mordaunt came third in last summer’s leadership race and is preparing another bid. Her backers praise her charisma and defence background, suggesting she can unite the party.

Tory MP John Lamont declared on Thursday: "She is exactly the kind of calm, cool and collected leader we need right now."

However, her critics are questioning whether she has the economic experience to guide the country through the current crisis of soaring inflation and stuttering growth.

Mordaunt does not 'want to play second fiddle'

The briefings and behind-the-scenes scheming had already begun on Thursday night. Ms Mordaunt was said to be rejecting attempts by Mr Sunak to form a joint ticket.

Ms Mordaunt does not want to “play second fiddle”, one figure familiar with the situation told The Telegraph.

Others may declare. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary who quit Ms Truss’s cabinet this week and wants to tightly control migration, is considering a bid.

So too is Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary, who, with the backing of Michael Gove, was one of the surprise performers of the last race.

But already there are concerns that support on the Right of the party is being split, as happened during the summer campaign when like-minded rivals clashed over the top job.

Jeremy Hunt, the newly installed Chancellor, ruled out a run via allies on Thursday, meaning he is well set to remain in the Treasury, given he is the fourth chancellor in as many months.

Many leadership contenders last summer including Grant Shapps are not expected to run. No announcements have been made by others such as Sajid Javid and Nadhim Zahawi.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson’s friends and family were split on whether he should run again, after a gruelling three-year premiership that ended with rejection by his own party.

Rachel Johnson, the former prime minister’s sister, told this newspaper: "If he wants to stand, wild horses won't stop him." But other sources suggested relatives were less enthusiastic. One friend said: "It is too early. In autumn next year the party will be on its knees. He is walking into a s--- show he can't control."

The week-long leadership race’s rules were decided at emergency meetings of the Conservative Party board and the 1922 Committee's executive on Thursday.

The 100-MP threshold to make the first round of voting is five times higher than the threshold in the summer - a sign of how urgent party chiefs see the need to choose a new leader.

However, they were forced to deny suggestions the rules were crafted in such a way to block Mr Johnson’s path, given hitting the threshold so soon after being toppled may be hard.

Coronation - or a two-horse fight to Friday?

It remains possible a coronation will occur. If only one candidate is left standing on Monday then Tory members will not get a vote to confirm the parliamentary party's selection.

Should two candidates be still standing, however, an online vote of members will follow. A result will be announced on Friday. Party chiefs said they were confident online voting was secure.

Ms Truss announced the end of her short-lived and turbulent premiership at 1.30pm, shortly after breaking the news with 30 close staff around the coffin-shaped Cabinet table.

Ms Truss said: “I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability.

“Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills. Putin's illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent. And our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth.

“I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this. We delivered on energy bills, and on cutting National Insurance. And we set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.

“I recognise, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.

“I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King, to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.”

“She feels quite relieved,” a source in touch with Ms Truss said on Thursday.

World leaders reacted with a plea for calm. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said: “It is important that Great Britain regains political stability very quickly, and that is all I wish.”

He added: "I think stability is very important … during these times when a major war is under way on the continent in Europe.”

Joe Biden, the US president, thanked Ms Truss for her work on “holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine”.

He said the US and UK were “strong allies and enduring friends” and “that fact will never change”. Asked if it was right that Ms Truss had resigned, Mr Biden said: “Well, that’s up to her to decide.”

The outgoing PM remained in Number 10 on Thursday night. She has, at most, a week left in office.