As part of a campaign to keep Boris Johnson in No. 10, supporters have threatened to picket Tory leadership hustings with a “war bus.”
The billionaire party donor Lord Cruddas is driving the drive to allow Conservative members to determine whether he steps down.
Despite Mr. Johnson’s resignation earlier this month due to a ministerial rebellion following months of corruption, he was seen leaving No. 10 today with his son Wilf.
A petition with more than 6,000 signatures from Conservatives calls for a say in whether he departs Downing Street as scheduled in September.
Others, in yet another form of protest, are threatening to tamper with their ballots or “write in” Mr. Johnson’s name.
Cruddas warned last night that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak might encounter protests as they participate in a tour of 12 hustings around the UK.
When questioned by the Telegraph about a prospective war bus, he responded, “That’s a possibility. People are upset, and they and their supporters want to demonstrate.”
Cruddas and David Campbell Bannerman, a former Tory MEP and Ukip deputy leader, are leading the effort.
The petition to party co-chairman Andrew Stephenson requests the inclusion of the Prime Minister together with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss on the run-off ballot.
The appeal claims that the Conservative MPs who ousted him did so because they had “vested interest grounds and grievances to resolve.”
Mr. Johnson was considerably ahead of the remaining three contenders in a poll of Mail+ readers conducted yesterday.
He received 53% of the vote, beating out Miss Truss (19%), Penny Mordaunt (15%), and Mr. Sunak (13%), who received 2,248 votes.
According to the petition to Mr. Stephenson, Boris Johnson was chosen as our next leader by the membership in 2019.
“Now that decision has been altered without consulting the voters who chose him.
You cannot exclude the membership from the entire process right away because this leaves room for misuse by the parliamentary party, which might have vested interests and complaints against our leader to be resolved.
“Morale is poor and there is animosity toward the parliamentary party,” it continues.
I demand that members have the choice to vote for Boris Johnson on the ballot in the upcoming election.
Johnson hinted at a potential political comeback during his final PMQs on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that his task as prime minister had been “essentially accomplished, for now.”
His very last words, “hasta la vista, darling,” were a clear allusion to the famous line from the movie Terminator, which is also known for the phrase “I’ll be back.” Arnold Schwarzenegger used it to end the movie.
As he recounted his accomplishments in office, including Brexit and British support for Ukraine against Russia’s savage invasion, Mr. Johnson told the Commons that his final three years as PM had been “the greatest privilege of my life.”
The PM acknowledged his contribution to the largest Tory majority in 40 years and a significant realignment of British politics.
“We improved our democracy and reestablished our national sovereignty.
“Honestly, that’s enough to be going on with. I helped get this country through a pandemic and assist save another country from barbarism.”
After being questioned about Mr. Johnson’s closing words during PMQs, the PM’s press secretary responded, “That was his way of saying farewell to his colleagues.”