BORIS Johnson commands an imposing lead over his Tory rivals in the race for the keys to No 10, a YouGov poll has revealed.
The study, conducted for the Times, found that Johnson is the preferred choice of 39% of party members.
To be selected as the Conservative leader, the former foreign secretary would need to finish in the top two in a ballot by MPs. The ultimate victor would be decided via a vote by all Tory members.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson clear favourite for Tory leadership among members
Johnson’s closest challenger is former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who sits in distant second on 13%.
The poll also put Johnson in front of Raab in the event of a head-to-head contest, winning with 59% of the vote.
Other leadership hopefuls Michael Gove and Sajid Javid shared third place, with each being first choice among 9% of members.
Also tied were Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom, who both polled at 5%.
Newly installed International Development Secretary Rory Stewart drew 4% of the votes, while Health Secretary Matt Hancock was only named as the preferred successor to Theresa May by 1% of respondents.
Although the research found that 49% of Tory Leave voters would back Johnson, a mere 10% of pro-EU members would support him and, overall, 31% felt that he would make a “poor leader”.
Asked at a business event in Manchester last Thursday if he would be a candidate in the leadership contest, the former foreign secretary replied: “Of course I’m going to go for it.
READ MORE: David Mundell condemns SNP for 'demonising' Boris Johnson
“I don’t think that is any particular secret to anybody. But you know there is no vacancy at present.”
Johnson also hit out at May for her handling of Brexit. “I do think there’s been a real lack of grip and dynamism in the way we approached these talks [with the EU],” he said.
“We’ve failed over the last three years to put forward a convincing narrative about how we can make sense of Brexit and how to exploit the opportunities of Brexit.”
The Daily Mail reported that a “Stop Boris” campaign within Tory ranks had already swung into action in an attempt to hamstring the MP’s prime ministerial ambitions.
The newspaper reported that one minister who was part of the campaign said that the move against Johnson had already begun to gain momentum.
“Boris cannot form a government, certainly not on a no-deal platform and probably not on any other.
“There are at least a dozen people on our side, me included, who would be prepared to vote against him on the Queen’s Speech,” the unnamed minister said.
“Even with the DUP on board, that is the majority gone. Then we are straight into an election.”
Another minister commented: “Boris is extremely popular with the members, but the situation is the opposite among his colleagues at Westminster.’’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, in no uncertain terms that he was a “charlatan” and that the notion of Johnson as prime minister would “horrify” Scots.
“Boris Johnson, the guy who misled people in the Brexit vote, the guy who has only ever put his own interests first as far as I can see – a complete and utter charlatan in my opinion,” she said during the SNP’s EU election manifesto launch in Glasgow on Friday last week.
“The prospect of him becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is, I think, one that will horrify many people across Scotland.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel