BORIS Johnson could be on the brink of a sensational comeback to No 10.
He is by far the favourite among grassroots Tories to take over from Liz Truss but his backers fear a "stitch-up" to stop his return to power.
Leadership hopefuls must secure the votes of 100 MPs by Monday afternoon to make it through to the final round.
Rishi Sunak and Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt topped the poll last time, when the resignation of Cabinet colleagues forced Mr Johnson out in July.
A source said: "It's a massive stitch-up. The rules are designed to keep Boris, Kemi [Badenoch] and Suella [Braverman] out.
"The 1922 Committee was very agitated towards Boris at the end.
They want the second candidate who makes it on to the list to drop out.
"But it would be a massive problem if Rishi, who was rejected by party members, ends up becoming Prime Minister without the support of the membership. They are playing with fire." A minister involved in the campaign to restore Mr Johnson as leader told the Daily Express that more than 50 MPS have already signed up.
He said: "We had 30 immediately and that has pretty much doubled. We are optimistic about getting past 100 by early next week." The campaign expects to be up against Mr Sunak in a final two and has high hopes of winning with the membership.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 21, 2022 من Daily Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 21, 2022 من Daily Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
It's just a small victory for City on penalties
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs will only have to overcome a \"relatively minor issue\" in their legal battle with Manchester City.
England set-up no different to Fergie's United
EL-ABD PLAYS DOWN CHANGES
POPE'S BLOWS A REAL PAIN
Carse's sympathy for skipper
Trolley good! Supermarket's £4m healthy eating boost
Children at 400 schools in some of the country's most deprived areas will benefit from fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to an inspirational new scheme launched today by Tesco and celebrity chef Poppy O'Toole
Horror story at pumpkin farms
HALLOWEEN fans plumping for plenty of pumpkins are in for a disappointment after slugs and bad weather destroyed more than half of this year's crop.
More families are setting sail on holiday cruises
FAMILY cruises are on the crest of a wave with more people heading up the gangway for a holiday at sea with the kids.
Fury over water firms' 'drop in the ocean' £157m penalty
Not enough to punish suppliers' ‘annual litany of failure'
Hip fracture delays raise risk of dying
HIP-fracture patients are more likely to die if they are waiting in A&E for more than four hours, a study claims.
Coleen beats Rebekah again in Wagatha case
REBEKAH Vardy has suffered a second defeat over her \"Wagatha Christie\" libel battle with Coleen Rooney.
My pen pal Charles, by Melania
MELANIA Trump has revealed in her new memoir that she is pen pals with the King.
