Boris Johnson ‘primed and ready’ to launch Tory leadership bid and become next Prime Minister The prominent Eurosceptic has started manoeuvres after Theresa May said she’d step down if her Brexit deal passed

Boris Johnson held meetings with MPs from across the Conservative Party yesterday as allies prepare to launch his bid to become Prime Minister.

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The manoeuvring emerged less than 24 hours after Theresa May announced plans to step down if the Commons approve her Brexit blueprint.

Sources close to the former Foreign Secretary confirmed he intended to run for the Tory leadership and supporters said they were “primed and ready” to launch his campaign.

Rebuilding confidence

Mr Johnson’s greatest challenge is to rebuild confidence among Tory MPs of his abilities following a turbulent spell as Foreign Secretary and to convince them that he can reach out to sceptical voters.

i can also disclose that supporters of both Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt have been actively sounding Tory MPs to gather support for potential leadership bids.

Although Mr Hunt refused to confirm his candidacy, he set out his vision of “compassionate Conservatism” in an interview yesterday with the Evening Standard.

He argued that the best way to unite the country was by “moving on from Brexit” to show “we have a burning social mission and we want to be a party for everyone”.

‘Kingmaker’ Gove

Some MPs have expressed surprise that Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, has been named as an early favourite in the contest by bookmakers.

They believe he could emerge as a “kingmaker” rather than a plausible candidate for the top job.

One minister said: “He doesn’t look like a runner to me because he isn’t exactly popular in the country.”

The former Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, who also looks certain to run, signalled his opposition to Mrs May’s Brexit deal.

He argued yesterday that Britain should “go back to the EU again” to press for changes to the Withdrawal Agreement and be prepared to leave without a deal if Brussels refused to give ground.

His comments appeared designed to appeal to Eurosceptic Tories were in contrast to Mr Johnson’s announcement that he would back the Prime Minister’s Brexit blueprint.

Potential candidates

Another potential candidate, Liz Truss, also struck a Brexiteer note in a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce conference.

The Treasury Chief Secretary called for MPs to back Mrs May’s plans as “the deal that will allow us to move forward as a country”.

In an open field, other possible candidates include the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, the former Brexit secretary David Davis, and the Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly.