Rishi ‘ began plot 15 MONTHS ago’
Ex-chancellor ‘schemed to make Johnson quit’
RISHI Sunak hatched a plot to bring down Boris Johnson’s 15 months ago, a senior Tory has claimed.
Seasoned observers were mystified at how the former Chancellor had devised such detailed policies in just days after Mr Johnson stepped down as party leader last month.
The top Tory claimed: “He didn’t. He’d had a team secretly working on them for months.
“Rishi knew last year that he was going to run to replace Boris. It was just a question of getting the timing right.” Tory MPS turned against the PM over partygate and for not telling the truth about what he knew about Chris Pincher after the deputy chief whip resigned over allegations of groping two men.
Mr Sunak, who visited the Isle of Wight yesterday, quit the Cabinet within minutes of Health Secretary Sajid Javid – and just two days later, Mr Johnson resigned as leader.
The claim that Mr Sunak had been planning the downfall of the PM since last year will further infuriate party members already angry over the ex-chancellor stabbing their leader in the back.
Up to 10,000 of 160,000 party members have signed a petition urging that Mr Johnson’s name be added to the leadership contest ballot paper.
The campaign team Mr Sunak secretly assembled allegedly included those who had previously worked for Mr Johnson.
Yesterday, leadership rival Liz Truss was in Solihull, West Mids, drumming up support for her own campaign.
The Sunday People has been shown “evidence” that Mr Sunak’s team has been trying to rig questions that broadcasters put to Ms Truss.
They are being sent briefing notes by the Sunak camp to wrongfoot the Foreign Secretary on China, the NHS, immigration and tax cuts.
And the broadcasters are asked not to say where the questions come from.
Mr Sunak’s camp was approached for a comment last night.
nige.nelson@people.co.uk
He’d had a team secretly working on policies for months