The battle to replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister may turn into a showdown between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
Ms Truss finally bowed to mounting political pressure at lunchtime on Thursday when she announced she would step down - with her successor to be in place a week on Friday.
An expeditited Conservative leadership battle will play out over the next seven days with the frontrunners expected to be one-time allies in government Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson.
It’s also likely that Penny Mordaunt will throw her hat into the ring but Sir Graham Brady has stated any candidate needs the support of 100 Tory MPs by 2pm on Monday to make it onto the ballot and that Tory members will have a say.
Boris Johnson, forced out of Number 10 earlier this year, is said to be flying back from his holiday in the Caribbean to try and bolster support ahead of what would be a sensational return to Downing Street.
No candidate has officially declared interest but James Cleverly, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt have all ruled themselves out of the competition.
Sunak has the early lead in supporting MPs, having been vindicated with his predictions of economic chaos in the case of a Liz Truss Government, but it is still early days ahead of what is likely to be a frantic weekend.
Mr Johnson remains very popular among Tory members, despite his premiership ending mired in the Chris Pincher scandal and allegations he misled the House of Commons over Partygate.
Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has said she is backing Mr Johnson.
She said she was confident he will get the 100 signatures needed to make it on to the ballot paper.
“There is only one MP who has the mandate of the British public, who won a general election only three years ago with an 80-seat majority, and that was Boris Johnson,” Ms Dorries told Sky News.
“He is a known winner and that is certainly who I’m putting my name against because I want us to win the general election. Having a winner in place is what the party needs to survive.
“I am quite confident he will get the 100 signatures.”
But former Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to guard against the ‘Bring Back Boris’ campaign tweeting: “MPs must now be prepared to compromise. It is our duty to provide sensible, competent government at this critical moment for our country.”
Just hours earlier Ms Truss, having on Wednesday said she was ‘a fighter, not a quitter’ stood outside Number 10 and said she was resigning.
It marked the end of a tumultuous 44 days in power that were marred by a disastrous mini-Budget which through the markets into turmoil.
Her attempts to ride out the political storm withered on Wednesday night when a vote on a Labour motion on fracking descended into farce and allegations of bullying and manhandlijng.
Ms Truss said: “I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and other opposition parties called for an immediate general election following Ms Truss’s resignation speech.
Ms Truss will remain in post until a successor formally takes over as party leader.
Conservative MP Richard Holden (North West Durham) told the PA news agency: “I think it has been difficult for everybody and I didn’t support Liz during the leadership but I was delighted when she offered me a junior position in the Government and wanted to help out and see her succeed.
“It has become clear that that’s just not possible and on a personal level I’m really saddened for her and I hope she’s going to be alright, this is a really tough thing to have gone through over the past few days and weeks.
“But more broadly the party’s now going to look to the future, we’re going to have a very quick leadership election, which is what’s in the national interest.
“I think there’s a couple of things for me which are overriding and those are basically competence and economic credibility.
“That’s at the core of what we need to deliver now, it’s what my constituents want to see… which is why I’m backing Rishi (Sunak).”
