The bid is being coordinated by Mark Fullbrook, a close ally of Sir Lynton, who advised Downing Street under David Cameron’s prime ministership and has been informally aiding Mr Johnson in recent months. The chancellor and Mr Fulbrook were seen sitting together at a recent Tory fundraiser and the campaign is expected to be backed by Matt Jackon, another ally of Sir Lyndon. On Wednesday morning Mr Zahawi appeared to distance himself from his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, as he hinted that he would scrap a planned corporate tax hike. “I’ll look at everything. There’s nothing off the table,” he said. “I want to be one of the most competitive countries in the world for investment.” A No 10 source later added that there had been no change in the government’s economic policy since Mr Zahawi’s appointment. The Tory leadership contenders are planning to launch bids to take over from Boris Johnson this weekend after the plot began even as he remained in Downing Street on Wednesday night. Mr Zahawi, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid could all announce leadership bids within days as Mr Johnson faces the collapse of his government. Although the 1922 Tory Commission has yet to change its rules governing confidence motions, allowing MPs to force Mr Johnson to resign, a leadership race is now seen as inevitable. The Telegraph understands a number of candidates to replace him are considering going public over the weekend, either by announcing their candidacy or giving media interviews. Potential staffers for one campaign have been instructed to keep their cell phones on in case a leadership bid is launched on short notice. On Wednesday night, Tory MPs speculated about which of their colleagues would enter the race. Some were baffled by Penny Mordaunt’s decision to stay in government even as her cabinet colleagues staged a coup against Mr Johnson. “Penny doesn’t seem to have seized the moment, which is strange,” said a colleague. It is possible that Ms Mordaunt has remained loyal to Mr Johnson in the hope of securing his support in a leadership race. Mr Javid’s decision to make a “personal statement” against Mr Johnson’s leadership from behind the scenes has been welcomed by some MPs, who believe it has damaged his credentials. The former health secretary said he was “instinctively a team player” but told the Commons: “Walking the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months. I will never risk losing my integrity.”
