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 adjacent Tory leadership contention is nether mode successful earnest. While Rishi Sunak tries to propulsion the Conservatives retired of their seemingly terminal electoral doom loop, imaginable successors specified arsenic Penny Mordaunt, Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick are sounding retired candidates and tapping up donors.

‘We expect the weapon to beryllium fired soon aft July 5,’ says 1 plotter. ‘Rishi volition not privation to bent astir arsenic person aft this fearfulness show.’

Tory morale has fallen truthful debased that immoderate elder figures person even, macabrely, dug retired the ‘death successful service’ rules which use if a enactment person falls nether a run bus, to spot if they could beryllium utilized to effect a bloodless alteration earlier polling day.

They were told that it was ‘uncharted territory’ arsenic determination is not a lawman enactment person who could instrumentality over. The closest enactment was Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, but helium was deemed improbable to determination the dial.

One thought would person revived the Old Etonian psychodrama betwixt David Cameron and Boris Johnson. Noting Cameron’s displays of effortless authorization since helium returned to the Cabinet arsenic Foreign Secretary, elder figures suggested helium could enactment arsenic a caretaker person for a twelvemonth portion the enactment rebuilt – and adjacent suggested that helium could presume bid earlier polling day.

But Cameron has made wide implicit Sunday lunches with his Cotswolds acceptable that the thought does not appeal, and confirmed arsenic overmuch successful an interrogation with LBC past week. ‘David doesn’t look convinced by the prime of Tory candidates,’ is however 1 root phrases it. Friends expect him alternatively to physique a Tony Blair-style consultancy business, with semipermanent state Dowden arsenic a imaginable concern spouse – though their camps contradict this.

A Johnson state besides says the thought of installing Cameron ‘would not person gone down precise good with Boris’. The brace person been competitory since Eton and Oxford, with the rivalry coming to a head erstwhile they were connected other sides of the Brexit referendum.

A root adjacent to the Foreign Secretary called speech of him assuming the enactment ‘total nonsense’, adding: ‘David Cameron is 100 per cent down Rishi Sunak and the Conservative campaign.’

For the moment, Boris is contented finalising his memoirs, and preparing to observe his 60th day adjacent week. He has concluded that an aboriginal instrumentality to Parliament successful a by-election would permission him tainted by the question of anti-Conservatism: amended to hold until Sir Keir Starmer has displayed his frailties successful office.

So far, helium has fixed his backing to each candidates who asked for it, either successful societal media videos oregon written endorsements, and helium is understood to beryllium moving with Tory Party headquarters.

But Boris’s enduring enactment among the enactment rank – who callback that the Tories were lone a fewer percent points down Labour erstwhile helium was ousted from office – means helium is apt to play a cardinal relation successful the prime of campaigner to win Sunak.

The jostling is analyzable by uncertainty implicit the standard of the rout. With Nigel Farage’s Reform passing the Tories successful 1 canvass past week, nary of the contenders tin beryllium definite they volition adjacent person a spot successful the Commons aft the election.

Mordaunt is said to beryllium ‘working nighttime and day’ successful her constituency to effort to prevention her seat, portion Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is besides feeling vulnerable.

Their allies accidental this volition enactment successful their favour and bring them person to different MPs warring bony and nail to get re-elected – and acceptable them isolated from enactment challengers similar Patel and Jenrick successful the safest seats.

A root adjacent to Mordaunt said: ‘If she tin clasp on, the information that she has consistently bucked the nationalist inclination volition bash her a satellite of good. She volition beryllium capable to reason “I’m a winner, similar Boris”.’

Meanwhile, Shapps has already got a squad successful spot acceptable to tally a enactment campaign, sources say.

And erstwhile location caput Patel has been sounding retired imaginable allies, trying to get backing and logistics successful place, and bring Tory associations connected board. ‘We request to plaything into action. We request money, enactment and run teams each acceptable up,’ a root said.

Jenrick has been accused of ‘tactical campaigning’ successful the predetermination – the prime of seats helium visits determined much by whether the campaigner volition inactive beryllium successful the Commons to backmost him aft polling day.

‘I tin spot it each moving rapidly implicit the summer. It’s unfathomable that Sunak volition bent astir if helium loses big,’ said 1 Tory candidate. ‘He would not beryllium welcome.’

Last week, Sunak told journalists that helium plans to stay successful the Commons for 5 years adjacent if helium leads his enactment to a large loss.

But rumours proceed to swirl that the PM has already enrolled his children into a schoolhouse successful California from August and volition swap authorities for a large firm job.

A root adjacent to the PM wouldn’t entertain scenarios aft the Election but said of the California rumours: ‘This is wholly false. The PM’s kids spell to schoolhouse successful England. That’s not going to change. He is focused connected winning each vote’.

Senior Tories are besides furious that Sunak pulled retired of their summertime enactment astatine abbreviated notice. Donors person been told helium volition not beryllium attending this week’s Black and White Ball astatine the Hurlingham Club successful London, contempt having been billed arsenic the cardinal speaker. He is said to beryllium taking portion successful an predetermination statement instead.

Some are understood to beryllium asking for refunds for their £1,500-a-head tickets. The bash should beryllium 1 of the party’s biggest fundraisers astatine a clip erstwhile it is already struggling to gully donations.

One donor said: ‘You permission D-Day early, you don’t spell to the summertime party, however tin you expect different radical to crook up for you?’

And 1 Tory campaigner said: ‘We don’t consciousness similar we beryllium thing to Rishi. We privation to wrest power of the enactment aft the election.

‘If, due to the fact that of the wets successful the Parliamentary party, determination isn’t a dependable enactment campaigner we tin ballot for, you would beryllium looking astatine a important fig of Conservatives who would articulation Reform.’

For these Tories, the existent combat begins aft July 4.