BORIS Johnson has told aides he’ll be Prime Minister again “within a year” as a petition to get him on the ballot gained thousands more signatures.
Former Tory MEP David C Bannerman – who is leading the campaign along with Lord Cruddas told Politicalite that the petition to get the PM on the final ballot has hit a whopping 7,000 member signatures – teasing that “more news” would be revealed “very soon”.
The update came as the Prime Minister told Downing Street aides that he’ll be PM again within a year.
Tim Montgomerie made the claims on Twitter.
The petition gained traction despite a Tory Lord claiming that members should be removed from the Tory Leadership process.
Writing in The Times of London: Lord Daniel Finklestein said:”A return to MPs choosing their party leader would have prevented the twin fiascos of Corbyn and Johnson.”
The row was branded a “personal, vindictive & illogical attack on the Prime Minister by former Tory MEP David C. Bannerman who is leading the campaign to get Boris on the Ballot.
“Daniel has been right at heart of this coup, I asked him at Reform whether he was still out to get Boris & he laughingly nodded he was.”
“He’s an unreconstructed Remainer & no Tory.” he added.
One Tory donor is withholding a £500,000 donation to the party over the fiasco.
Lord Cruddas, also behind calls to get Boris on the Ballot told the Sunday Times: “I planned to donate a total of £500,000 this year but that is on hold and will not be paid unless the membership have a chance to vote on Boris being PM.”
“I have no interest in Rishi who I deem to be not fit for high office due to his plotting and the orchestrated way he and others resigned to remove the PM.”
BORIS ON THE BALLOT
THOUSANDS of Tory Party members have now written to the parties chairman demanding that Boris Johnson is added to the final ballot of the leadership contest.
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will be on the final ballot, but an army of five thousands angry members who are dismayed at the removal of the democratically elected Prime Minister of the UK want their vote recognised.
Tory donor David C Bannerman revealed the news on Twitter, after the campaign gathered momentum.
Bannerman tweeted: “This is the Conservative Party Constitution. Note Article 17 where the Board can do anything that it wants in best interests of the party. Like put Boris on the ballot.”
Yesterday, Telegraph political correspondent Christopher Hope revealed that the members – all of whom have to give their membership numbers when they sign up – are backing a petition organised by Tory donor Lord Cruddas and former Conservative MEP David Campbell-Bannerman.
The signatories are invited to support the following statement: “I demand Boris Johnson is added to the ballot as an option for the members to vote upon in the forthcoming election.”
Lord Cruddas says under the party’s constitution it can add Mr Johnson’s name to the ballot.
Lord Cruddas told Hope: “The membership wants the option of voting for Boris on the final ballot. “
“We think it is only fair because Boris was the members choice back in 2019 and he has been constructively removed by the Parliamentary Party without referral to the membership.”
“By adding Boris to the final ballot to make it a three horse race means that the winner will have the backing of the membership.
“There will be no ambiguity around the result and the final choice of leader will have integrity.”
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