Some members of the cabinet have reportedly hatched a plan in an effort to ensure that Boris Johnson is the only candidate on the ballot paper when party members vote for their new leader.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some senior members of the cabinet want to avoid a “blue on blue” battle for the next party leader, which could leave the candidates open to attacks from each other, as well as from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The plan, which was allegedly hatched in the whip’s office, is for the remaining candidates to drop out of the campaign next week and leave Mr Johnson, the leadership favourite, as the only one remaining.
A confirmatory ballot would still be carried out to the party’s 160,000 members, to officially hand Mr Johnson the keys to number 10.
However, the move is controversial. Theresa May was left unopposed before the membership vote in 2016, when Andrea Leadsom, who was the her last remaining rival, dropped out of the race, meaning Mrs May was appointed leader by default.
The alleged plot comes after Mr Johnson said on Friday that he thinks voters are frustrated by senior Tories arguing in public, adding he does not want to see any more of it.
Candidate Rory Stewart, who only mustered 19 votes in Thursday’s vote, criticised the plan on Twitter, saying: “Please write to your MP if you think this is not a good idea and please RT [retweet] if you think anyone else might think this is not a good idea…”
Mr Johnson has built an enviable lead over his leadership rivals.
Mr Johnson appeared to bow to increasing pressure to make a similar commitment by his rivals, pledging on Friday to participate in the BBC debate, scheduled for next Tuesday evening.
However, he will not take part in Channel 4’s debate this Sunday. The former foreign secretary won 114 votes from his parliamentary peers on Thursday, with his nearest rival the current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, only securing 43.
The next round of voting is on Tuesday next week, where the field of candidates will be trimmed down even further.