Liz Truss has pledged “100 per cent” support for Boris Johnson as he continues to fight back against claims of attempting to blackmail MPs who are ready to depose him.
The MP - seen as a potential leadership candidate - said the Prime Minister was doing “a fantastic job” and that he has her “100% support”.
But the Foreign Secretary, who is in Sydney, Australia, sidestepped a question about whether she would run for Prime Minister if a leadership ballot was held.
She said: “There’s no leadership election.”
Truss has been more vocal in her support of the Prime Minister than chancellor Rishi Sunak who is seen as her main rival, should a leadership contest be called.
The chancellor kept a low profile when the worst of the partygate revelations were aired and cut short an interview this week when he was asked repeatedly if he believed Johnson’s accounts of his attendance the Downing Street events.
Johnson’s allies were yesterday downplaying the prospect of a no-confidence vote in the Prime Minister which would be triggered by the submission of 54 letters from rebel Tories to Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee.
The Prime Minister was rocked on Thursday by claims that Tory whips were “blackmailing” rebel MPs with the threat of removing government funding from their constituencies if they did not back the PM.
The damaging claims came as Johnson battled to remain in power ahead of the result of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s inquiry into allegations of rule-breaking partying during coronavirus restrictions.
With the row rumbling on a Cabinet minister suggested an investigation will be carried out into a former Tory MP’s “very serious” allegation he was threatened over school funding if he defied Boris Johnson.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng conceded he could not rule out the claim from Christian Wakeford, but alleged it could be an attempt to “discredit” the Government after he defected to Labour.
The Bury South MP, who switched allegiances amid fury over partying allegations in No 10, said he was threatened with funding for a new school in his constituency being withheld if he did not vote with the Government over free school meals.
His allegation came shortly after senior Tory MP William Wragg said critics considering triggering a no confidence vote in the Prime Minister were receiving threats to “withdraw investments” from constituencies, as well as “intimidation” from No 10 staff.
The Business Secretary said Wakeford’s allegations have so far been “unsubstantiated”.
Kwarteng told the BBC “I’m sure it will be investigated if it’s not being so already – after 12 years as an MP I’ve never heard anything like this."
He added: "But I find it very unlikely that it would be true and of course any allegation of that seriousness should be looked into.
But the Times reported that Tory MPs wanting to oust the Prime Minister are considering publishing a secretly recorded conversation with the chief whip and messages to help support the claims.
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