RISHI SUNAK struggled to save his precarious premiership today as cantankerous Conservative MPs once again mustered for mutiny.
With Tories increasingly convinced they are staring electoral annihilation in the face, rumours of yet another leadership switch — offering voters the fourth leader in two years — swept Westminster.
Fifty-three Tory MPs have to demand a leadership vote for one to be triggered, and it is believed that as many as 40 have already written to Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, expressing no confidence in Mr Sunak.
The continuing 20-point polling deficit, the failure of the Budget to improve the situation and the mishandling of the Lee Anderson and Frank Hester controversies have stretched Tory nerves to breaking point.
The Prime Minister endeavoured to cheer up his surly troops by rote attacks on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s questions.
But the exchanges were little more than a foretaste of a squalid general election campaign, with both leaders trying to score points at the expense of refugees crossing the channel.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn put his finger on the political predicament by asking the premier: “With his backbenchers looking for a unity candidate to replace him, which of the now numerous born-again Thatcherites on the Labour front bench does he believe best fits the bill?”
Mr Sunak later addressed his backbenchers, using the opportunity to denounce Labour for the chaotic situation in Birmingham council, which it runs.
A variety of stalking horse candidates to force an election on the Prime Minister have been mentioned, including Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat.
Ms Mordaunt rocketed to prominence after a stellar performance carrying a large sword while dressed as an airline cabin steward at the coronation of King Charles.
She built on that with a Tory conference speech urging delegates to “stand up and fight” which they would mostly have found a challenge but liked the sound of nevertheless.
Ms Mordaunt has not acted to dampen the speculation, but may well conclude that the chalice is presently poisoned.
But the tensions are likely to come to the boil after local elections in early May, which are expected to see hundreds of Tories swept from council chambers across the country.
