Plot to oust Sunak as PM and bring back Boris hatched as 50 Tories attend meeting led by pro-Johnson aristocrat
10 March 2024, 16:10
Senior Tories are plotting to replace Rishi Sunak with ousted former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an attempt to turn around the party's polling fortunes.
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Boris supporters led by Lady Judith McAlpine have been planning to ditch Rishi Sunak after a meeting of more than 50 MPs and peers - where privately-funded polling on the PM and potential replacements was shared.
The widow of construction tycoon Sir William McAlpine helped procure the data which suggests that only Boris Johnson, Sunak's predecessor as Prime Minister, could save the party from electoral oblivion in this year's general election.
Read More: Boris Johnson flew to Venezuela for secret talks with president Nicolas Maduro
One MP told the Mail on Sunday: "I previously thought it would be too reckless to remove yet another Prime Minister, but now I don't think we have any choice."
Labour's lead over the Conservatives is currently 16 percent according to the most-recent Opinium Research poll which took place last week after the Budget.
The loaded lady told the Mail on Sunday: "As far as I am concerned the Tory party is rotten to the core. We need new Conservative values, and Boris is the person to deliver that.
"He is the only person with the charisma to lead the party to success. We need Boris back."
A former Cabinet Minister told the paper: "If Boris came back for the General Election it could save as many as 80 MPs. It would give Conservatives hope, a reason to vote.
"If Boris is out in the cold, voters will simply stay at home and sit on their hands. The party needs to wake up fast – these weeks before the local elections could be crucial."
Despite his popularity in some circles, Boris is currently under-fire for meeting Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in an attempt to stop the autocrat from providing weapons to Russia for its war with Ukraine.
Mr Johnson travelled to Venezuela for the meeting by private jet while on holiday in the Caribbean in February - and he was there for less than 24 hours.
The pair discussed the war in Ukraine amid concerns that Venezuela could supply weapons to Russia, according to the Sunday Times.He is also said to have addressed conditions for normalising relations with the UK.
It comes after Mr Maduro was re-elected in 2018 after judges banned his primary opponents from competing, plunging the country into a severe political and economic crisis.
Most opposition parties refused to recognise the election results and challenged Mr Maduro's rule by creating an interim government.
There has since been growing international pressure for Venezuela to hold a free and fair election.
