
Sajid Javid is floating the idea of a 'dream ticket' with Michael Gove as Chancellor that could see him become Prime Minister and would also shut Boris Johnson out of Downing Street, MailOnline can reveal today.

The pair are mulling whether Jeremy Hunt could be offered Home Secretary to drop his candidacy as part of the pact, while fellow Brexiteers Penny Mordaunt and Andrea Leadsom could also be handed promotions to fall into line, allies of Mr Javid have suggested.

The 'Stop Boris' plot came as Mr Johnson - who is joint-favourite with Mr Gove to be the next Tory leader - backed Mrs May's Brexit deal only to pronounce it 'dead' hours later.

The Prime Minister yesterday offered to sacrifice her leadership to win rebel Tories' backing for her deal, saying she will quit on May 22 if her deal passes this week.

If the deal does not pass by tomorrow, May could stay and Brexit will thrown into chaos with rebel MPs trying to force a softer exit from the EU and ministers threatening to call an election.

But Boris is now reportedly insisting Mrs May steps down even if her deal fails. MailOnline can reveal there are genuine fears that unless Mr Johnson's rivals agree a deal ahead of a leadership campaign their support could splinter, opening the door for the former Foreign Secretary to take over.

As many as eight Cabinet ministers are expected to put their names forward and several are already out on manoeuvres today with former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab positioning himself as the No Deal candidate.

Speaking today he said Mrs May should return to Brussels and demand they reopen negotiations so Britain can achieve a 'legally-binding exit from the Irish backstop'.

He added: 'I think we should have sensible conversations over the two weeks we've got left around the suite of No Deal arrangements that can be made to mitigate any of the potential damage on either side'.

Sajid Javid (left) in Downing Street yesterday. Rumours are growing of a joint ticket that would see him enter Number 10 with Michael Gove (right, today in Downing Street) as Chancellor

Boris Johnson remains popular with Tory grassroots who choose the party leader in a final head-to-head vote. But he faces a battle getting through the opening rounds of a leadership contest, which are determined by votes from less enamored MPs

Fellow frontrunner, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, used an interview with the Evening Standard to set out his vision for the Conservatives.

May WILL hold a vote on her Brexit deal tomorrow in Bercow showdown Theresa May's deputy and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox confronted John Bercow this morning to establish whether he would allow a new vote on the Brexit deal. David Lidington and Mr Cox met with the Speaker shortly before Commons leader Andrea Leadsom made a cryptic announcement about a debate and vote tomorrow. MPs have been ordered to attend Parliament tomorrow, cancelling what was supposed to be a day in their constituencies. In the weekly business statement, Mrs Leadsom said it would be used for a debate on Brexit - but admitted the final motion has not been decided. Speculation has been rife all week that Mrs May would try to bring back her deal for a third 'meaningful vote' if she had any hope of winning. The DUP's continued refusal to back the deal makes it appear an impossible mission - but passing the divorce deal this week is the only way to leave the EU by May 22. Speaker Bercow threw a further spanner in the plans by insisting any new vote must be on a 'substantially' different question to the last one. Following Mrs Leadsom's announcement this morning there are two main possibilities. The first is a full-blown 'meaningful vote' of the kind the Government has lost twice – if the Speaker is persuaded the question is 'substantially different'. The second is to hold a vote only on the divorce agreement – the legally binding treaty – and not the political declaration. This would swerve the Speaker's ruling and keep alive May 22 but would not amount to approving the deal in UK law. Advertisement

He said: 'People have got to see that we are not the money, money, money party. We have consistently failed in my political lifetime to win the battle of values'.

He added that he believes that if Mrs May delivers Brexit he 'cannot see any circumstances' Britain would ever rejoin the EU and would quit the Government if it happens or if there is a second referendum.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has refused to say if he will stand but is the 4/1 favourite to win. His possible running mate Home Secretary Sajid Javid is at 9/1.

Many believe that the Home Secretary gets enough endorsements from MPs to be in the final two voted on by Tory activists he will win, but his support on the backbenches is limited.

A senior Tory source described Mr Javid as PM and Gove as Chancellor as a 'grown up and sensible solution' that would match the current Environment Secretary's strategic thinking with the Home Secretary's public appeal and bring 'stability' at the top of the party.

'We know Michael Gove's limitations in terms of public appeal, Lynton Crosby made that very clear in 2014. He has some clear challenges to get over the line without many of the Brexit supporters who will never forgive what happened with Boris Johnson in 2016.

'Sajid Javid has broad support around the country, the polling evidence proves that. And the fact that he has a back story that no one else in the party has.'

More than a dozen Tory MPs are poised to launch bids for the leadership after Theresa May announced she will quit if her Brexit deal is voted through.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is seen as a strong outside bet, along with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd is weighing up whether to run but is a rank outsider after recent blunders.

Among the Cabinet outsiders are Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom, who finished second in the 2016 leadership contest that Mrs May won, but is expected to have another tilt, along with Brexiteer International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

Another MP said today: 'It's like the start line of the Grand National, but in the end Becher's Brook finds many out.'

As many as eight Cabinet ministers are expected to put their names forward, with Hunt, Gove and Javid among the frontrunners.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is seen as a strong outside bet, along with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd is weighing up whether to run.

Dominic Raab (pictured left) and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured right) are also strong betting favourites

Sajid Javid (pictured left) and Andrea Leadsom (pictured right) are also possible future leaders

Among the Cabinet outsiders are Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom, who finished second in the 2016 leadership contest that Mrs May won, but is expected to have another tilt, along with Brexiteer International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

Ms Truss set out a possible leadership pitch this morning, telling business leaders she wanted a Canada-style trade deal with the EU after Brexit.

Urging Tory and DUP MPs to back Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement she told the British Chambers of Commerce conference there was a 'dawning realisation that the deal the Prime Minister has set out is the deal that will allow us to move forward as a country'.

She told the London event: 'What I want to do today is strongly encourage colleagues of mine from the Conservative Party and other parties to back the Prime Minister's deal so we can get on with the next stage of negotiations which is the really important part of us being able to secure a good trade deal with the EU.'

She added: 'I'm a free trader, I believe that we need to open our economy to the rest of the world, I would like to see us do a Canada-style free trade deal once we have left the EU.'

Outside the Cabinet, the leading contenders are former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, both of whom quit Government posts over Mrs May's Brexit plans and will be vying for votes among Eurosceptic MPs.

Other MPs attempting to garner support for a run include former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, Tory party vice-chairman James Cleverly, foreign affairs select committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, justice minister Rory Stewart and backbench MP Johnny Mercer.

Last night one MP said: 'It's going to be like Ben Hur – there'll be a cast of thousands.'

Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, and ardent Remainer, and Chief Secretary to the treasury Liz Truss might also fancy a run at the leadership

How successor will be chosen If Mrs May's deal goes through, the UK is likely to leave the EU on May 22 and she would resign as Tory leader that day but stay on as interim PM while the contest to replace her begins. Any Tory MP can stand but they need two nominations from colleagues. A series of secret votes would be held every Tuesday and Thursday among the 314 members of the Conservative Parliamentary Party. The last-placed candidate is eliminated at every stage and once it is clear who the front-runners are the back-markers usually drop out and support someone else. After David Cameron stood down following the referendum in 2016 there were five candidates in the first round, who were whittled down to two: Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. The final two candidates then move on to the second phase, when party members vote by postal ballot. Candidates will be expected to make speeches to members and tour the country to try to win support. This second phase is likely to last for up to a month. Only members who have been in the party for three months or more can vote in a leadership contest, so joining now would not entitle you to a say. Conservative sources say the whole process could be completed within a month to six weeks. Advertisement

Last night, bookmakers Ladbrokes installed Mr Gove and Mr Johnson as early joint favourites at 4/1 and Mr Hunt at 8/1, with Mr Raab and Mr Javid at 10/1. Not all the likely runners are serious about winning the top job, but hope to secure a better job in Cabinet by increasing their profile.

Several of the leading candidates have had 'shadow' campaign operations running for months in anticipation of Mrs May going, with supporters discreetly sounding out MPs.

The first phase of the contest will see all Tory MPs vote in a series of rounds to whittle down the candidates to the final two. Party members across the country then vote in a postal ballot to decide the winner.

Last night, No 10 officials said that if Mrs May's deal goes through in the coming days and the UK leaves the EU on May 22, she will resign as Tory leader but stay on as caretaker until the contest is finished. She would go to Japan for the G20 at the end of June, meaning the contest would last about six weeks.

Mr Hunt has long been seen as a frontrunner because of his seniority and experience, but could suffer from the 'favourite' tag. His opponents have labelled him 'Continuity May'.

Mr Javid's hopes have taken a series of blows in recent months over his handling of the case of teenager Shamima Begum who ran off from her home in east London to join Isis, and for his claim to be taking control of a migration crisis while on holiday in South Africa.

Allies of Mr Johnson believe if he gets to the final round he is likely to win because of his huge popularity among grassroots Tories.

There is also speculation about Mr Johnson and Miss Rudd forming a powerful joint ticket, which would bring together a leading Brexiteer and a leading Remainer and could help reunite the party.

Mr Gove's prospects have sky-rocketed in recent weeks after several barnstorming performances at the despatch box, including his closing speech in the no confidence debate in January when he savaged Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

On Monday, MPs will continue their attempts to force a soft Brexit such as a Customs Union on Mrs May before April 12 – and her ministers have threatened to call a general election rather than be railroaded into breaking her manifesto promises.

If the government does call an election, it is likely to ask for another delay to Brexit from the EU so May can step down and a new Tory leader can be selected. The PM's would-be successors including favourites Michael Gove and Boris are already circling, the latter after finally supporting her deal despite months of trashing it.

The PM also faces opposition to her deal from up to 25 hardcore Brexiteer Spartans who still refuse to back her deal, leaving her needing to win over up to 30 Tory rebels.

Tory rebel Mark Francois said today: 'I wouldn't vote for it if they put a shotgun in my mouth. I am not voting for the deal on the basis of who is or is not the Prime Minister. I am not voting for the deal because I have read it. Nothing has changed - so I'm still happy to vote it down. The British people voted to leave the European Union - let's just leave'.

Yesterday, in an emotional speech, Mrs May told Tory MPs she would quit 'earlier than intended' if Parliament backed her withdrawal agreement.

There were initial signs that her gamble might pay off when a string of Eurosceptic MPs, led by Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith, said they would now swing behind her.

But, in a bombshell announcement shortly before 9pm, the DUP's said it would not support the agreement because it posed 'an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the UK'.

The party's deputy leader Nigel Dodds indicated it would vote against the plan, saying: 'We don't abstain when it comes to the Union.'

The DUP's support is seen as critical to unlocking the backing of dozens of Eurosceptic MPs and Mrs May's close friend Damian Green, a former minister, says the PM will not give up trying today.

If her deal fails then Parliament is likely to demand she asks the EU for a softer Brexit or draw up a second referendum - and the PM would then be expected to call a general election because it would tear up the Tory manifesto.

She has not ruled out staying to lead the party in a snap election but allies said that they hoped she will because she is seen as one of the few 'adults in the room', one source told The Times.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he still backs the PM's deal and is hoping the DUP 'come over' to it.

He also praised Mrs May's behaviour yesterday and said she 'deserves support'.

Speaking to reporters in London, he said: 'I'm in favour of the deal and I hope the DUP will come over to the deal but we'll have to wait and see what they do.'

Asked if he would be speaking to the DUP's leader after she again ruled out backing the deal on Wednesday night, he said: 'I have no plans to speak to Arlene Foster but I do have conversations with the DUP from time to time in the ordinary course of events.'

Tory Mark Francois said today he wouldn't vote for the PM's deal even with a gun in his mouth

He added: 'The Prime Minister behaved very nobly yesterday and I think she does deserve support at this stage.

'I don't like her deal. I make no bones about this. I don't think the deal's suddenly got better, simply that the alternative is now worse. It's not having any Brexit at all and it's letting down the 17.4 million people who voted to leave.'

Damian Green, Theresa May's former de facto deputy, has said she will carry on working to get a Brexit deal.

'She will take the path of soldiering on because she sees the great duty of her and her Government is to get a Brexit deal. She will carry on for as long as she is Prime Minister doing that,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'Absolutely the last thing the country would need now would be a prime minister who walked away and said 'OK, choose someone else'. This is very serious. The next few days are really the crunch.'

Mr Green said the choice for MPs now lay between Mrs May's deal and a customs union - the option which came closest to winning a majority in Wednesday's indicative votes.

'If you want a deal, the choice is now between the Government's deal or a customs union. The customs union was only eight votes off winning yesterday,' he said.

'That's a slightly softer Brexit than the Government's deal. So that's the choice that faces MPs, even the most hard Brexit MPs.'

David Lidington, effectively Theresa May's deputy prime minister, pleaded with MPs to back the Brexit deal.

At the British Chambers of Commerce conference he said: 'I recognise the real frustration that uncertainty around this process has caused in the business community.'

He added: 'From the Prime Minister down, the Government is doing all it can to secure a Brexit that does follow the result of the 2016 referendum but does so in a way that protects jobs and economic growth.'

Mr Lidington acknowledged that a 'chaotic, disorganised Brexit without an agreed deal is something we should not be seeking to have'.

Downing Street was last night locked in frantic talks with the party in the hope of persuading the DUP's ten MPs to support the deal.

'They are tough negotiators,' one source said. 'It's not over yet.'

But one Cabinet minister said: 'If they don't move, then we don't have the votes.'

In a huge blow for the Prime Minister, DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured last night on Sky News) said her party still could not support the deal because it 'poses a threat to the integrity of the UK'. Deputy leader of the DUP Nigel Dodds also ruled out abstaining

Cabinet minister Liz Truss said she wanted a Canada-style trade deal with the EU after Brexit as she urged Tory and DUP MPs to back Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement.

David Cameron refuses to say who he thinks should replace Theresa May Former prime minister David Cameron today urged warring MPs to 'compromise' to get some sort of Brexit deal through the 'stuck' Parliament. The ex-Tory leader, who quit after leaving the failed Remain campaign in the 2016 election said two of four main factions in the Commons - spanning all opinions on Brexit - would have to 'compromise'. But he declined to say who he would back to replace Theresa May when she stands down, telling ITV News: 'It's not for me to say.' He said: 'The basic problem is that Parliament is stuck. 'There are four groups in Parliament; people who want the PM's deal, people who want no deal, people who want a second referendum and people who want a softer Brexit. 'We - the Government - has to try and find a way of getting at least two of those groups to work together, to combine their options, to compromise to find that partnership agreement and I hope that is what will happen.' Advertisement

Addressing the British Chambers of Commerce conference, the Treasury Chief Secretary said there was a 'dawning realisation that the deal the Prime Minister has set out is the deal that will allow us to move forward as a country'.

'The alternatives that have been proposed by Parliament, and we saw that in the House yesterday, do not command support, some of them aren't negotiable.

'What I want to do today is strongly encourage colleagues of mine from the Conservative Party and other parties to back the Prime Minister's deal so we can get on with the next stage of negotiations which is the really important part of us being able to secure a good trade deal with the EU.'

She added: 'I'm a free trader, I believe that we need to open our economy to the rest of the world, I would like to see us do a Canada-style free trade deal once we have left the EU.

Former Tory education secretary Justine Greening, who resigned from Mrs May's Cabinet during a reshuffle last year, said agreeing to hold a second referendum could solve the stalemate.

The Remain backing MP for Putney told PA: 'I wasn't surprised that last night there wasn't a majority for anything. It's been clear to me for months that Parliament is gridlocked.

'There was more support for a second referendum as a route through. It was clear to me if the PM wants her deal to pass she can just allow people to have a say on it and I think it would get through.

'That's something for her to consider, particularly if the DUP themselves say they can't support the deal. She's going to have to find votes from other places.

'The bottom line is: Britain has got to now take some decisions and if Parliament can't, then I think we should allow the public to do it.'

MPs last night rejected every Brexit option in a series of 'indicative votes', with a customs union, second referendum, Norway-style option and No Deal all failing to get a majority.

But the two options with the closest votes were for any Brexit deal to put put to the people for a 'confirmatory vote' (268 for and 295 against) and to leave the EU with a customs union (264 for and 272 against).

These options are set to be further debated on Monday in the Commons and will be put to another vote if Mrs May fails to convince enough MPs to get her withdrawal agreement passed before then.

Mrs May is hoping the threat of a 'confirmatory vote' from the electorate or 'soft' Brexit by leaving the EU with a customs union will cajole further hardline Brexiteers to support her deal.

This, and the PM's 'Back me, then sack me' plea, sets the scene for a third attempt to pass her Brexit plan tomorrow – the day Britain was due to leave the EU.

Mrs May becomes the fourth consecutive Tory prime minister to have their career wrecked by the issue of Europe.

Pressure on her to quit had been building in recent weeks, with Eurosceptic MPs unhappy with her deal, warning that they wanted a new leader to take forward the next stage of Brexit negotiations.

A senior Tory said party whips believed up to 30 Eurosceptic MPs would back Mrs May's deal only if she agreed to go.