Iain Duncan Smith has been tipped to become the interim leader of the Conservative Party, with Rishi Sunak thought to be unwilling to stay on for a possible early Budget in September.
Reports in LBC suggest the former Tory leader, who served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003, will be brought in to run the ship while a permanent replacement is chosen by MPs and party members.
Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell has called for Sunak to stay on as Tory leader until November, claiming the party should “play it long” and use the conference season, staring on September 29th, to showcase contenders.
But after spending time with his family, Sunak is believed to be unwilling to stay on and wants to hand over the reins sooner rather than later.
Oliver Dowden, the former deputy PM, is understood to have ruled himself out as interim leader, with Duncan Smith, who remains the MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, emerging as a leading candidate for the temporary position.
Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch, Victoria Atkins, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly are among those mulling leadership bids and are weighing up support.
Jenrick is said to be using former Chief whip Mark Spencer to ring around MPs.
It follows the latest very public spat between Tory leadership rivals Ms Braverman and Ms Bedenoch, a dispute branded “unnecessarily disruptive” to the Conservative Party.
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