Boris Johnson's name could be the only one that goes forward to the party's membership in the Conservative leadership election under a secret plan to avoid four weeks of damaging Tory bloodletting.

Senior Cabinet ministers who are not linked to any of the six contenders in the campaign are examining whether Mr Johnson's name alone might forward to a "confirmatory" vote of the party's 160,000 members.

The plan was hatched in the whips office amid concerns from party grandees that weeks of "blue on blue" attacks during a prolonged hustings battle will leave the eventual winner weakened and provide ammunition for Jeremy Corbyn.

In the past week Mr Johnson has been accused by rival candidates of “poisoning politics” and pursuing “insane” tax cuts a well as being dismissed as “yesterday’s news”.

Under the proposal the remaining candidates would bow out late next week in favour of Mr Johnson, who has built a seemingly unassailable lead among MPs and grassroots Tories, before party members voted a single question - whether they want Mr Johnson to be leader.

The biggest hurdle is to convince Brandon Lewis, the party's chairman, to back the plan. He is determined to carry out the party's wish for candidates to be grilled by members over 16 hustings events in every region of the UK over a four week period starting in Birmingham next Saturday, June 22.