Boris Johnson ousts unleashed “hounds of hell” in the lead race

Boris Johnson’s resignation could see Tories tearing each other apart to find a replacement.

The 58-year-old announced yesterday that he was stepping down after a wave of resignations.

Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid, Ben Wallace, Nadhim Zahawi, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat are potential candidates for the new Conservative Party leader.

Culture Minister Nadine Dorries has told her colleagues they need to “keep the Cabinet running and the government running smoothly,” reports The Times.

Ms Dorries, one of Mr Johnson’s few remaining supporters, reportedly said the “hounds of hell” had been unleashed.

“People will tear each other apart in the media. It’s going to be a bloodbath,’ she said.

Newly appointed Education Secretary James Cleverly said candidates to succeed Boris Johnson must “explain their reasons” for remaining loyal to the Prime Minister or not.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Anyone who comes forward has to explain the reasons for what they did and my colleagues will judge that.

“Some people will certainly want to support someone who has remained part of the PM’s team over the last few days and there will be others who might want to support someone who has been critical of the PM.

“Each of us will make our own choices, and I think each candidate needs to explain what choices they did or didn’t make.”

He refused to name potential frontrunners or candidates he would support.

The Tory party has reportedly been brewing behind the scenes for months to find a new prime minister.

But since Mr Johnson’s official resignation, alleged “blue-on-blue” attacks have begun as a potential surrogate battle for support.

One MP told the Daily Mail the hopefuls’ line-up could “look like the crazy races” if Suella Braverman and Steve Baker are allowed to stand.

The MP told MailOnline: “As for Sajid [Javid]his retirement speech told you everything you needed to know: we all started wishing him well, but within minutes he completely lost the space.

They also branded Liz Truss “nasty, crazy, and frankly dangerous to know.”

It remains to be seen where the 1922 Committee will set the threshold for the number of Parliament supporters a candidate must get on the ballot.

The backbench panel will set the rules of the competition next week, with the expectation that a new leader will be installed ahead of the Tory conference in October.

Mr Johnson told the country yesterday: “I want you to know how sad I am to be leaving the best job in the world – but these are the breaks.”

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