Boris Johnson was tonight accused of a new “desperate bluff” as he mounted a final scramble for No10 - while Rishi Sunak closed in on Downing Street.
The former Prime Minister’s allies tonight suggested they had enough “verified” MP nominations to get on a ballot of Tory members before Monday’s 2pm deadline.
Former Chief Whip Chris Heaton Harris celebrated in a jubilant WhatsApp message to supporters, saying: “Some very good news!
“Thanks to all your hard work I can confirm we have completed all the paperwork (verified all nominations, with proposer and seconder) to be on the ballot tomorrow.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”
Johnson-backer Michael Fabricant tweeted: “Boris WILL go to the membership. He has exceeded the 100 certified supporters. There will NOT be a coronation tomorrow.”
But Mr Johnson’s team refused to identify backers and the Mirror’s latest count suggested he had only about 60 publicly declared, while Rishi Sunak was nearing half of all 357 Tory MPs.
And it came after a day in which key figures backed Mr Sunak including right-wingers Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman, and MOD minister James Heappey.
A source on Penny Mordaunt ’s campaign scoffed: "People think it's a bluff - he's been losing supporters".
Tonight the Partygate PM was yet to even formally declare he was a candidate. Mr Johnson would be favourite to win a vote of party members - if he reaches the final round.
But a fresh poll of the wider public by Opinium found 45% prefer Rishi Sunak to be the PM, compared to just 27% for Boris Johnson.
Rishi Sunak supporter Richard Holden said it was the second time in two days Boris Johnson’s team had claimed to have 100 backers.
“It’s almost as if they still need people and are desperate to show momentum, which they can’t because no-one will publicly come out,” he said.
Unless the former PM can raise his tally to a century by 2pm, he will be left humiliated and unable to stand in the contest.
With Penny Mordaunt lagging on fewer than 30 public backers, that potentially paves the way for Mr Sunak to be named the winner tonight.
Despite his backers boasting he had enough supporters, Mr Johnson today begged rival Penny Mordaunt to quit the race and back his bid.
But Ms Mordaunt refused - and suggested he should drop out and back her instead, it’s understood.
It’s thought she “called his bluff” over his claim to have 100 backers in secret, saying some of them are actually supporting her.
She is also said to have pointed out many of her backers would back Rishi Sunak, not Mr Johnson.
The ex-PM held talks with his former Chancellor on Saturday night - and both camps were tight-lipped about what was discussed.
But they failed to thrash out a deal for one of them to step aside.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, who supports the former PM, insisted: “The people who are doing the numbers for Boris's campaign tell me he has the numbers.”
Backing Mr Johnson’s fight, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly claimed: "I know Boris has learned lessons from his time in No10.”
But former supporter Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland Minister who is behind Mr Sunak this time, warned: "This isn't the time for Boris and his style … I'm not willing to lay down my integrity for Boris Johnson."
He added that Mr Johnson is unable to comply with "tedious rules" and warned "his premiership will implode".
He went on: “Boris would be a guaranteed disaster … It's a guaranteed nailed-on failure and we cannot allow it to happen."
Attempts to build momentum behind Mr Johnson’s latest tilt for the top descended into farce when MPs who called for him to quit in the summer urged colleagues to support his fresh grab for the premiership.
Urging the then PM to quit in July, ex-Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said: “This is not sustainable and it will only get worse.
“I am heartbroken that he hasn’t listened and is now undermining the incredible achievements of this government.”
Yet today Mr Zahawi claimed: “He was contrite & honest about his mistakes. He’d learned from those mistakes how he could run No10 & the country better.”
Shadow Communities Secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News: "It's extraordinary watching Tory MPs who put in letters of no confidence in him just a few weeks ago saying he wasn't fit to hold the highest office now talking openly about trying to bring him back.
“It is a sign of absolute utter desperation in the Tory Party."
Mr Sunak today officially entered the battle to succeed doomed Liz Truss as his total public backers nudged 150 by Sunday night.
The summer leadership contest flop vowed to "fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country" at a time of "profound economic crisis".
He said: "I served as your Chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the toughest of times.
"The challenges we face now are even greater.
"But the opportunities, if we make the right choice, are phenomenal.
"I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto.
"There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done."
International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who came fourth in the summer leadership competition, threw her weight behind Mr Sunak.
Three months ago, she called support he announced to help families tackle the cost-of-living crisis "inefficient" and "micro-policies".
Today, she admitted she had "on occasion" been a member of "the Boris Johnson fan club", but said the Tories are not "organising a popularity contest", and stressed the party is "not a vehicle for any one individual's personal ambitions".
Mr Johnson suffered another blow when former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a standard-bearer of the Tory hard-right, announced she was supporting Mr Sunak.
Three weeks ago she claimed: “I would love to be having a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream. That's my dream. That's my obsession."
But today she said: "We cannot indulge in parochial or nativist fantasies."
Failing to make the cut would land a devastating blow on Mr Johnson and potentially terminate his political career for good.
He jetted back to Gatwick Airport from a luxury family holiday in the Dominican Republic over the weekend to drum up support for his latest leadership bid.
The former Premier was pictured making phone calls to would-be backers as he clung to the hope he could secure enough nominations.
But critics warned if he succeeded in reclaiming the keys to Downing Street, his premiership could be thrown into new disarray by a parliamentary probe by the Commons Privileges Committee, which is due to examine claims he misled Parliament over lockdown-busting parties in No10, first revealed by the Mirror.
