Now a bid to make Defence Secretary ‘Unity PM’

DEFENCE Secretary Ben Wallace has been approached by Tory MPs to stand as a ‘unity candidate’ for leader if Liz Truss is ousted, The Mail on Sunday understands.

Mr Wallace ruled himself out of the summer’s leadership contest on personal grounds, but has now told friends he is ‘rethinking’ his objections as runner-up Rishi Sunak, the favourite to succeed Ms Truss, ‘cannot unite the party’.

Leaders of mutinous backbenchers have claimed that more than 100 Tory MPs are prepared to write to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee, calling for a motion of no confidence in Ms Truss. Sir Graham is also coming under pressure to change rules which stop a leader being challenged for a year after election.

The rebels are aiming to hit a target of 125 names. Any leadership contest is likely to be restricted to Tory MPs, as another vote by party members would take too long.

Ms Truss tried to save her faltering premiership on Friday by sacking Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor following weeks of economic turmoil in the wake of his tax-cutting mini-Budget. But sources claim that during their meeting she also told him, ‘They are coming for me’ – referring to the plotters who want to oust her as Prime Minister.

New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was yesterday accused of mounting a ‘silent coup’ after effectively ripping up Ms Truss’s policy platform by saying that taxes will have to rise and ‘efficiencies’ would be needed to balance the books.

BORIS JOHNSON may have a rival if it comes to an ousted Prime Minister returning to lead the Conservatives: Theresa May.

Despite leading her party to a humiliating General Election result in 2017, Mrs May emerged last night as a potential ‘save the Tories’ replacement for Liz Truss.

One Government Minister told The Mail on Sunday that Mrs May, pictured, could yet return to help limit the party’s losses at the next election.

On getting the Conservatives back to within eight polling points of Labour, the Minister said: ‘You can’t rule Theresa May out.’

One poll last week gave Sir Keir Starmer’s party a massive 34-point lead over Ms Truss.

However, other Tory MPs dismissed as ‘nonsense’ the idea that Mrs May – who was forced to step down in June 2019 – could yet return to the top job.

They pointed out that the former Prime Minister had called the snap election in 2017 which ended with the party losing its small Commons majority and almost letting hard-Left Labour candidate Jeremy Corbyn into power.

The contrast with Mr Johnson’s landslide 2019 win – which left the Tories with a majority of 80 seats in the Commons – could hardly be greater, they said.

The suggestion comes after Tory MPs plotting to get rid of Ms Truss reportedly discussed appealing to Mrs May and other ex-leaders, including David Cameron and Sir John Major, to make an unprecedented joint intervention to ease the Prime Minister out.

Last night, sources close to Mrs May said she had received no approaches to consider returning to Downing Street.