Mordaunt’s team reaches out to Johnson seeking deal in Tory race

London: Penny Mordaunt’s campaign contacted Boris Johnson’s team on Sunday morning seeking an agreement to influence the outcome of the contest to become the UK’s next prime minister, according to leaked text messages seen by Bloomberg.

A deal between Johnson and Mordaunt would theoretically see one of them pull and out endorse the other in a joint ticket. The candidate at the top of the ticket would then likely go on to face off with former chancellor Rishi Sunak in the race to become leader of the governing Conservatives.

A person close to Mordaunt said that she had spoken to Johnson several times over the last few days and had asked Johnson not to stand in the race and back her candidacy. The two teams remained in talks on Sunday and no deal had yet been reached, people familiar with the talks said.

The Telegraph reported that Mordaunt herself had rejected a similar proposal from Johnson to quit the race and back him.

Mordaunt and Johnson are both seeking a way to break the momentum building behind Sunak before the Conservatives announce Monday which candidates have made it onto the ballot. Sunak has won the public backing of 120 Tory lawmakers while Johnson has 51 and Mordaunt 22, according to a tally by Bloomberg.

Mordaunt, 49, the leader of the House of Commons, finished third in last summer’s leadership contest behind Liz Truss and burnished her credentials with a deft performance in the chamber last week, although some officials have raised questions about whether she has the experience to lead a government facing massive challenges. Johnson, 58, would be making a dramatic comeback less than four months after he resigned as prime minister amid multiple scandals. 

Candidates need the backing of 100 MPs to make it onto the ballot so the crucial issue over the next 24 hours will be whether either Johnson or Mordaunt can amass enough support to prevent Sunak being declared the winner by default on Monday.