Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak hold meeting as 'donors urge ex-PM not to appear'

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Boris Johnson was in talks with Rishi Sunak on Saturday night to strike a deal so the Conservative Party can avoid a potentially damaging leadership skirmish to replace Liz Truss.

< p>M. Johnson was trying to persuade his former chancellor that he should return to No 10 and that Mr Sunak would get a top job if successful, the Mail on Sunday reported.

< p>The former Prime Minister arrived at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning with his family after having cut short a holiday in the Dominican Republic following the dramatic resignation of Ms Truss on Thursday.

However, Prominent Tory donors were on Saturday night imploring Mr Johnson – whose three years in office have been mired in scandal – not to oppose Mr Sunak, as reported by The Sunday Times.

Sir Mick Davis, a former party treasurer and donor, told the newspaper that the idea of ​​Mr Johnson forming a stable government was “illusory”.

Mr. Johnson suffered another blow on Saturday night when Kemi Badenoch, who is popular on the party right, threw his support behind Mr Sunak.

Writing in The Sunday Times , Ms Badenoch said her party must remind people that 'Conservatives care about the country, not ourselves'.

"Everything we do must be for the greater good and must be seen to be for the greater good, rather than just winning elections,” she said.

The International Trade Secretary suggested Mr Sunak would bring a “disciplined approach” to the government, citing its "fiscal conservativism" and stressing that "at the moment being able to say no is what we need".

It comes as Sir James Duddridge, a Johnson ally, claimed the former prime minister had the backing of the 100 MPs needed to make it to Monday's poll.

Could Boris Johnson return to being Prem 1st Minister?

But Sunak supporter Richard Holden questioned that suggestion, arguing that the equivalent public statements had not yet come forward "to be because they don't exist".

Sir Robert Syms, another Sunak supporter, wrote on Twitter: "If Boris has 100 in the bag, why is his campaign posting photos of him begging for votes?"< /p>

Despite being the only candidate to have declared herself so far, Cabinet Secretary Penny Mordaunt is trailing on public support from MPs, with just 21 to 43 for Mr Johnson and Mr. Sun...