Rishi Sunak was plotting Boris Johnson’s downfall 15 months ago, a senior Tory claims.
The politicians says he was in on the plan as far back as May, 2021.
Seasoned observers were mystified how the former Chancellor managed to come up with such detailed policies in just a matter of days after Mr Johnson quit as party leader last month.
The top Tory said: “And the answer to that is he didn’t. He’d had a team secretly working on them for months.
“Rishi knew last year that he was going to run to replace Boris. It was just a question of getting the timing right.”
Tory MPs turned against the PM over partygate and for not telling the truth about what he knew about Chris Pincher after the deputy chief whip resigned over allegations of groping two men.
Mr Sunak quit the Cabinet within minutes of Health Secretary Sajid Javid and two days later Mr Johnson resigned as leader.
But the revelation Mr Sunak had been planning the downfall of the PM since last year will further infuriate party members already angry over the ex-Chancellor stabbing their leader in the back.
Up to 10,000 of 160,000 party members signed a petition urging Mr Johnson’s name to be added to the leadership contest ballot paper.
The campaign team Mr Sunak secretly assembled allegedly included those who had previously worked for Mr Johnson.
But Mr Sunak denied that Dominic Cummings has played any part in his current campaign after the former Downing Street aide was accused of pulling the strings behind the scenes.
He says he has not spoken to Mr Cummings since the aide was ousted from No10 in 2020.
But Culture Secretary and Johnson ally Nadine Dorries said: “Cummings believes he can control Rishi and sees a role for himself back in government.”
Meanwhile the Sunday Mirror has seen evidence that Mr Sunak’s team has been trying to rig questions broadcasters put to rival Liz Truss and her supporters.
They are being sent briefing notes by the Sunak camp to wrongfoot the Foreign Secretary on China, the NHS immigration and her tax cutting plans.
And the broadcasters are asked not to say where the questions come from.
The Sunak camp did not comment.
