Liz Truss was still able to smile today despite the abrupt end of her terrible 44-day tenure in office yesterday.
This morning, the Prime Minister smiled as she entered Downing Street following a run in the central London fog.
At around 8 a.m., the outgoing Tory leader, who is widely regarded as the most disastrous in the party’s history, flashed a sardonic smile to the police as she entered the rear entrance of No. 10 in her workout attire.
As Ms. Truss begins her final week as Prime Minister, her opponents are positioning themselves to assume her position. Boris Johnson is said to be on an aircraft returning from his Caribbean vacation as he decides whether to run again barely six weeks after being ousted by Conservative MPs.
Rishi Sunak, his chief opponent, is slated to launch his campaign today, with his backers claiming he is prepared to combat Boris “for the soul of the party.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss smiles as she enters Downing Street this morning.
Ms. Truss brings her phone into No. 10 after her jog as she begins her last week as prime minister.
This morning, on a dreary London morning, Ms. Truss was spotted jogging in the park.
Boris Johnson is pressing for a ‘dream ticket’ comeback today, while Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are desperately courting MPs.
The trio appears to be in the best position to meet the high barrier of 100 nominations from lawmakers required to appear on the Tory leadership vote; but, it is likely that only one or two will meet the criteria by Monday afternoon’s deadline.
Six weeks after he was driven from power amid a wave of ministerial resignations over Partygate and sleaze, the former prime minister’s supporters are clamoring for a surprise return. Some have suggested that as many as 140 of the 357 Conservative MPs may support him, rendering him virtually unstoppable.
However, skeptics say that his supporters are more vocal than many, and they predict that he will fall short of 100. According to ConservativeHome’s tally, Mr. Sunak is currently in the lead with 35 officially declared candidates, followed by Mr. Johnson with 19 and Ms. Mordaunt with 11.
Poll
Who would you like to see become the next prime minister?
Boris Johnson 17047 votes
Rishi Sunak 6579 votes
Penny Mordaunt 2383 votes
Ben Wallace 1439 votes
Suella Braverman 798 votes
Kemi Badenoch 745 votes
Grant Shapps 132 votes
Other 3085 votes
Now share your thoughts
Mr. Johnson is rumored to be returning early from his vacation in the Dominican Republic as he ‘takes soundings’ on whether to run to succeed Liz Truss following her humiliating resignation.
Crispin Blunt, a Tory MP and former ally, warned that Mr. Johnson has “personality weaknesses” in addition to a “amazing set of skills.”
The former minister told Sky News, “I don’t believe we can go back there for the next two years.”
There are also concerns that some center-ground MPs may resign the Tory whip or even defect in protest, as they view his leadership as unacceptable. This could pave the way for Keir Starmer to call a snap election and cause a Conservative wipeout, with Labour leading by as much as 36 points in the polls.
Mr. Johnson’s former spin doctor, Will Walden, stated this morning that Mr. Johnson “absolutely loathes to lose” and will not formally run if his poll numbers fall below 100. He continued, “If he believes he has a chance of winning with the members, he will run.”
Mr. Johnson might become only the third prime minister in modern political history to return for a second term, following in the footsteps of his hero Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson of the Labour Party.
However, he is a polarizing figure among the general public and on the Conservative benches. One critic referred to him as a “ego on sticks,” while another advised him to “return to the beach.”
In an effort to heal party divisions, he reportedly urges his former Chancellor, Mr. Sunak, to reach out and ‘get back together’ The extraordinary olive branch followed months of squabbling when the former chancellor was accused of ‘knifing Boris in the back’ when he abruptly resigned from his cabinet seat, unleashing a wave of resignations that ultimately led to Mr. Johnson’s removal as prime minister.
A source said last night that Mr. Johnson realized he had made “mistakes” and that he is now eager to “reach out to talents throughout the party” and serve as a “healing, unifying” leader.
However, Mr. Sunak’s friends deflated hopes for a reconciliation, telling the Sun that while he wishes to bury the hatchet, his ultimate goal is to become prime minister so he can “get on with the task of rebuilding the battered economy.”
Mr. Sunak was also interested in Penny Mordaunt, a potential teammate. She is reportedly rejecting his efforts to build a combined ticket because the current leader of the House of Commons “doesn’t want to play second fiddle.”
The competition to become prime minister resulted from:
Suella Braverman, Ben Wallace, and Kemi Badenoch were all debating whether or not to run for the leadership.
The freshly appointed Home Secretary, Grant Shapps, and the newly appointed Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, ruled themselves out of the race.
After months of chaos, Labour leader Sir Keir demanded an immediate election, stating that the country deserved a “fresh start.”
If more than one candidate is put forward by MPs, Conservative Party members will vote online to determine the winner, according to Tory leaders.
Treasury sources acknowledged that the new prime minister could scrap the plan to close a £40billion hole in the public finances, casting doubt on the Budget’s viability on October 31.
Conservative MPs on the party’s right warned the incoming leader against being soft on immigration after No. 10 suggested that rules could be loosened to boost economic growth.
Mr. Jenrick told the News Agents podcast that the Tories faced “extinction” if they failed to select a unifying leader.
The National Cyber Security Centre contacted the Conservatives to warn them that a foreign power may attempt to hack an online member vote.
Conservative lawmakers cautioned that Miss Mordaunt’s ‘woke’ views and lack of experience could harm the party’s chances at the polls.
Friends of Mr. Sunak deflated hopes for a joyous reunion, telling the Sun that while he wants to bury the hatchet, his primary objective is to become prime minister so he can “get on with the job of repairing the shattered economy.”
According to ConservativeHome’s tally, Mr. Sunak is currently in the lead with 35 openly stated candidacies, followed by Mr. Johnson with 19 and Ms. Mordaunt with 11.
Penny Mordaunt was reportedly rejecting Mr. Sunak’s attempts to build an united ticket because the current Leader of the Commons ‘does not want to play second fiddle,’ according to a source who spoke to the Telegraph.
32% of respondents favored Boris Johnson as the replacement of choice, followed by 23% for Rishi Sunak and 10% for Ben Wallace.
While Mr. Johnson already has the support of 50 MPs compared to Mr. Sunak’s 39, the idea of a Boris comeback has prompted some Conservatives to threaten to resign and force by-elections, with one labeling him “ego on sticks.”
How will the next Prime Minister be selected?
Monday
The deadline for nominations in the Tory leadership election is 2pm. To advance to the first ballot, candidates will need the support of 100 members of Congress. If only one member of parliament meets this requirement, they will become prime minister without a vote.
From 3.30 p.m. until 5.30 p.m., the first vote of MPs to pick amongst the leadership candidates will be held. Due to the high bar for nominations, there will be no more than three candidates.
The result of the first vote of MPs is announced at 6pm. In the event that three candidates advance, the contender with the fewest votes will be eliminated. Nonetheless, if only two candidates made it to the first ballot, this would be a symbolic vote for MPs to show their preference between the two remaining candidates.
If three candidates made it to the ballot and the lowest vote-getter was eliminated in the first vote, a second ballot could be held from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. This would become the indicative vote on the last two candidates, allowing members of parliament to demonstrate to party members who they want to be prime minister.
The outcome of the second ballot of MPs will be disclosed at 9 p.m. The two candidates will then be put to a vote by Conservative members online.
Friday
The online membership vote will conclude at 11 a.m. The outcome will be announced later that day, and the new Tory leader will be revealed.
The Telegraph reports that after securing the largest Tory majority in decades in 2019, Mr. Johnson is making his ability to win elections the centerpiece of his campaign.
His closest allies, including ‘Mr Fixit’ Nigel Adams, were frantically calling MPs for support last night, while Conservative MP Paul Bristow told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight that it was ‘absolutely realistic’ that he would receive 100 votes to make it onto the PM ballot.
While his sister Rachel Johnson added, “wild horses won’t stop him if he wants to run,” she described Keir Starmer as the “PM-in-waiting” and predicted he will win the upcoming election.
Another friend cautioned that he was “walking into a s**t show he can’t control,” adding, “The party will be on its knees by autumn of next year.”
Others, including Tory MP for Rochford and Southend East James Duddridge, were more optimistic, tweeting, ‘Hope you enjoyed your vacation, boss. Time for your return. There are few issues at work that require resolution. #BringBackBoris.’
A close political ally of the former prime minister told the Daily Mail last night that he was “rested,” “in great spirits,” and “itching to take on 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 so straight forward. 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.
In a sharp-tongued missive, 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’, while Tory MP John Baron simply said: ‘I would find it impossible to serve under Boris.’
Meanwhile former party chair David Davis told LBC that Mr Johnson should ‘go back to the beach, frankly.’
Elsewhere, 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 committee, with one insider telling the paper 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 damning hearing even if he returns to power.
According to one ally, however, he is encouraged by early indications of support from MPs – and some ministers who forced him out are said to be privately calling for his return. If he believes he can make the final round of the race he is likely to run, the source added.
Another close political ally of the former prime minister last night told the Daily Mail that Mr Johnson was ‘itching to take the fight to Keir Starmer’.
They hailed Mr Johnson as a ‘proven election winner’ and ‘a great campaigner’ and the only potential candidate with a direct mandate from voters. The ally said that if the Tory party was ‘serious about power’ then he was ‘the only choice’.
Supporters among Tory MPs argue he 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 Miss Truss resigned.
But many MPs are opposed to him making a comeback because he has an inquiry by the Commons privileges committee over Partygate hanging over him. It is probing whether he deliberately misled Parliament about Downing Street parties during the Covid-19 pandemic – and he could be booted out as an MP were it to find against him, potentially plunging the Tories into fresh chaos.