Revealed: How the race to find the next Tory leader has already started… and some MPs are so desperate they’re pushing for a VERY surprising candidate

The next Tory leadership the competition is in earnest. While Rishi Sunak tries the Conservatives from their apparently terminal electoral doom run, potential successors such as Penny Mordaunt, Priti Patel And Robert Jenrick sounding out candidates and recruiting donors.

“We expect the cannon to be fired shortly after July 5,” one plotter said. “Rishi will not want to continue as leader after this horror show.”

Tory morale has become so low that some senior figures have even macabrely dug out the ‘death in service’ rules that apply when a party leader falls under a campaign bus, to see if they can be used to pre-election to bring about a bloodless change. day.

They were told it was ‘uncharted territory’ as there was no deputy party leader to take over. The closest option was Oliver Dowdenthe Deputy Prime Minister, but it was considered unlikely that he would move the switch.

One idea would have revived the Old Etonian psychodrama between them David Cameron And Boris Johnson. Given Cameron’s display of effortless authority since returning to Cabinet Minister of Foreign AffairsHigh numbers suggested he could serve as caretaker leader for a year while the party rebuilt – and even suggested he could take command before election day.

Senior figures have suggested that David Cameron could serve as caretaker leader for a year while the Conservative Party is rebuilt

But Cameron made it clear during Sunday lunch with his Cotswolds set that the idea doesn’t appeal, confirming this in an interview with LBC last week. “David doesn’t seem convinced by the quality of the Tory candidates,” a source said. Friends expect him to have one instead Tony Blair-style consultancy firm, with long-time ally Dowden as a potential business partner – although their camps deny this.

A Johnson ally also says the idea of ​​installing Cameron “wouldn’t have gone down too well with Boris”. The pair have been competitive since Eton and Oxford, with the rivalry come to a head when they were on opposite sides of the Brexit referendum.

A source close to the Foreign Secretary called rumors he would take the leadership “complete nonsense” and added: “David Cameron is 100 percent behind Rishi Sunak and the Conservative campaign.”

At the moment, Boris is content with finishing his memoirs and preparing to celebrate his 60th birthday next week. He has come to the conclusion that an early return to Parliament in a by-election would leave him infected by the wave of anti-conservatism: it is better to wait until Lord Keir Starmer has shown his weaknesses during his time in office.

So far he has given his support to all candidates who asked for it, either in videos on social media or in written statements of support, and is believed to be working with Tory party headquarters.

But Boris’s continued support among party members – who remember the Tories trailing Labor by just a few percentage points when he came to power removed from office – means he is likely to play a key role in choosing the candidate to succeed Sunak.

Boris Johnson appears to be putting off a leadership bid for the time being and is content to complete his memoirs

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured at the Epsom Derby this month, has sounded out potential allies

The jostling is complicated by uncertainty about the extent of the defeat. Of Nigel Farage‘s Reform, which the Tories adopted in one poll last week, none of the contenders can be confident of even having a place in the House of Commons after the election.

Mordaunt is said to be working ‘day and night’ in her constituency to save her seat while Defense Secretary Grant Shapps also feels vulnerable.

Their allies say this will work to their advantage and bring them closer to other MPs fighting tooth and nail to be re-elected – and separate them from leadership challengers such as Patel and Jenrick in the safest places.

A source close to Mordaunt said: ‘If she can keep it up, the fact she has consistently bucked the national trend will do her a lot of good. She will be able to argue: “I am a winner, just like Boris”.’

Meanwhile, Shapps already has a team in place to lead a leadership campaign, sources say.

And former home secretary Patel has been sounding out potential allies, in a bid to sort out funding and logistics, and bring Tory associations on board. ‘We have to take action. We need money, support and campaign teams,” the source said.

Jenrick has been accused of ‘tactical campaigning’ in the election – the choice of seats he visits is largely determined by whether the candidate will still be in the House of Commons supporting him after election day.

‘I see that everything is going fast this summer. It is inconceivable that Sunak will stick around if he loses big,” said one Tory candidate. “He wouldn’t be welcome.”

Last week Sunak told journalists that he plans to stay in the House of Commons for five years even if he leads his party to a big loss.

But rumors continue to circulate that the Prime Minister has already enrolled his children in school in California from August and will leave politics for a job at a major company.

A source close to the prime minister did not want to provide post-election scenarios, but said of the rumors in California: “This is completely false. The Prime Minister’s children go to school in England. That’s not going to change. He is focused on fighting for every vote.”

Senior Tories are also furious that Sunak pulled out of their summer party at short notice. Donors have been told he will not attend this week’s Black and White Ball at the Hurlingham Club in London, despite being announced as the main speaker. Instead, he would take part in an election debate.

Rishi Sunak, pictured at yesterday’s G7 summit, has pulled out of the Tories’ £1,500-a-head summer party

Some are believed to be asking for a refund for their £1,500-a-head tickets. The bash should be one of the party’s biggest fundraisers at a time when donations are already struggling to come in.

One donor said: ‘You’re leaving early from D-Day, you’re not going to the summer party, how can you expect other people to show up for you?’

And one Tory candidate said: ‘We don’t feel we owe Rishi anything. We want to wrest control of the party after the elections.

“If, because of the unrest in the parliamentary party, there is no good leadership candidate for us to vote for, you would be looking at a significant number of Conservatives joining the reform.”

For these Tories, the real fight starts after July 4.