Boris Johnson reaches 100 nominations needed to run for PM, supporter says

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A close ally of Boris Johnson has claimed he has passed the 100 MP threshold needed for him to join the battle to succeed Liz Truss as Prime Minister.

In a post that electrified the Tory leadership race, Tory MP Sir James Duddridge tweeted: 'New - Boris Johnson has over 100 supporters.

Endorsements Mr Johnson's public records remain well below the crucial 100 figure, with just 59 Tory MPs having put their names behind his candidacy on Saturday afternoon.

And supporters of leadership rival Rishi Sunak were skeptical of the new claim. Durham MP Richard Holden said Sir James' figure for MPs' endorsements far exceeded those who were publicly "because they don't exist".

Sir James has told The Independent that the 100 figure linked to "supporters ready to sign his nomination papers".

The claim came shortly after the former Premier's return minister in the UK after a holiday in the Caribbean, when he was expected to soon declare his intention to make a remarkable return to Downing Street less than two months after handing over to Ms Truss.

Leadership rival Rishi Sunak has already comfortably passed the threshold to get his name on the ballot by Monday's 2 p.m. deadline.

With Penny Mordaunt - the only female candidate so far to announce her candidacy - trailing 25 nominations, Camp Johnson's claim sets the stage for a two-horse race to be decided by Tory members.

< p>While MPs will vote on which candidates clear the nomination hurdle on Monday, their vote on the final two contenders is only indicative, leaving the final decision to an online member ballot to conclude on Friday.

However, it is believed that a landslide victory for one candidate in the indicative vote could persuade the second to step down.

It is unclear why such a large proportion of Mr. Johnson's supporters appear unwilling to go public with their support, suspecting they could hold out the option of a move to Sunak if he appears to be the clear winner.

Polls suggest Mr Johnson could have a strong chance of winning the final members' ballot even if he finishes second to the former Chancellor on MPs' votes.

We had thought that he might not even announce his candidacy until he was sure of getting 100 nominations, in order to...