Seven Conservative MPs are expected to resign should Boris Johnson be confirmed as the next Prime Minister.
With the Conservatives only holding a slim Parliamentary majority through their agreement with the DUP, any defections could have a devastating effect on Johnson’s plans for No.10, and no majority could be a significant buffer – especially around Brexit.
The Conservative Party has experienced a number of splits in recent months, with the high-profile departure of Anna Soubry to Change UK and others such as Nick Boles resigning the party whip, exposing a widening gulf in a previously broad church.
Sir Alan Duncan yesterday left his position as Foreign Office minister in protest against a possible Johnson victory, and the political experts at Sporting Index think that could be the first of seven potential resignations.
Chancellor Philip Hammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke have also indicated that they will walk.
Phill Fairclough, trading spokesperson for Sporting Index, said: “Boris Johnson’s coronation as new Prime Minister will be divisive for the Conservatives, and there could be as many as seven resignation letters handed in following his appointment.
“With such a narrow majority, even with DUP help, seven defections could have a shattering effect on the Tory Party, and with Parliamentary arithmetic not changing, Johnson could have one of the shortest reigns in history.”