BORIS Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s late night talks failed to deliver a new PM – with the former Chancellor today officially confirming his bid.
Rishi now has more than 142 supporters after vowing to fix the economy as he officially put his hat in the ring for the top job.
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The high-stakes summit came after Boris flew back to the UK and claimed he had the backing of 100 Tory MPs — enough to get into the final ballot.
As talks went down to the wire, Priti Patel said the ex-PM is “the man to lead Britain” – before a swell of further support from the likes of Nadhim Zahawi and Jacob Rees-Mogg this morning.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said “Britain needs Boris back”, before claiming: “He is the one to lead us to victory and prosperity.”
While Rees-Mogg, a staunch ally of Mr Johnson, said: “I have been speaking to him, and clearly he’s going to stand, there’s a great deal of support for him.”
But Rishi was boosted by backing from Tory big beasts including Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker.
Ms Badenoch said: “He would be a great leader in a time of crisis”, while Mr Baker said: “This isn’t the time for Boris and his style.”
Conservative former cabinet minister Dominic Raab today told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he was not expecting a deal between the pair.
Some MPs fear a party civil war if the two would-be PMs cannot agree.
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One senior Tory MP said: “It is like a Mexican standoff between these two men. These talks will go down to the wire.”
While Rishi, who currently has 141 named MPs behind him, has announced his leadership bid, Boris, who has 59, has stayed quiet.
It appears that, despite desperate negotiations to strike some kind accord, they failed to come up with a pact and will likely go head-to-head in a battle for the Tory crown.
Tory MPs previously pleaded with the pair to lock themselves in a room and thrash out their differences until a deal is done — for the sake of the party.
One said: “We need a papal conclave where they both stay in a room until we get the white smoke and one is crowned leader.
“We can’t keep squabbling in public.”
Sir James Duddridge, an ally of Mr Johnson, this morning said the former PM was on “good form” during yet another meeting with MPs at 8am.
Meanwhile, third-placed Penny Mordaunt is widely expected to crash out of the leadership race after only bagging 24 backers.
However, she defiantly told Laura Kuenssberg she was very much still in the running.
“I am a savvy campaigner and I am very confident about the progress we are making,” she said.
“I am in this to win it. I am very confident about our numbers.”
She also insisted she is the only candidate to unite the party, adding: “We have got to come together.”
And she was backed by MP Damian Green who told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “She is the best candidate to unify the party and the country.
“What we need is a competent, calm and stable government, and Penny is attracting support from all wings in the party.
“I think she will win.”
‘WE CAN’T KEEP SQUABBLING’
In a day of political plotting, Boris jetted back from his Caribbean holiday at 10.15am and headed straight to his London campaign HQ.
The bleary-eyed ex-PM hit the phones at Millbank Tower in Westminster to urge wavering Tories to give him their vote — and another shot at No10.
He told Tory Red Wall MP Lee Anderson he would get the country back on its feet if he wins.
But a couple of hundred metres away, over in Parliament, Rishi was in his office also hammering the phones to MPs to woo them.
He spoke with Kemi in the afternoon — getting her important backing.
Lord Frost also threw his weight behind the ex-Chancellor, saying: “We must move on. It is simply not right to risk repeating the chaos and confusion of last year.”
Late yesterday afternoon, the rival camps were desperately scouting around for a suitable venue to hold a secret Boris-Rishi summit away from prying eyes.
One senior Tory said: “If Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak end up going head to head, it will be the biggest fight since Muhammad Ali and George Foreman and Rumble in the Jungle.
“It will be huge — and incredibly bruising for the party.”
There has been a massive clamour among Tory MPs for Boris and Rishi to bury the hatchet and unite to heal the party’s rifts.
A senior Rishi backer said: “They need to do a deal. They need a rapprochement — like when Gordon Brown brought Peter Mandelson back. It is the only way.”
Even Defence Secretary Ben Wallace urged the pair to “put aside their egos” and do a deal for the sake of the party.
Others warned the Tories are heading for civil war unless the two sides can call a truce.
After sunning himself on the beach in the Dominican Republic for the past two weeks with wife Carrie and their young family, Boris flew back into a political storm yesterday.
Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield, said Boris has “made mistakes” and that over the past year he has been “angry with him” .
But after they chatted yesterday afternoon, he decided to give him another chance because of his appeal to voters.
He said: “Nobody can draw the people in and make people engaged and interested in politics in the way he has.”
Boris is understood to have the help of his close friend, Tory MP Nigel Adams, known as BoJo’s fixer.
He served in his Cabinet but stood down when Boris quit.
He was away on holiday this week, but jetted back and has been leading Boris’ support operation this week.
