TORY splits over the potential comeback of Boris Johnson have dominated the first day of the race to replace Liz Truss.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has backed the former prime minister while also ruling himself out of the contest.
He said the former Prime Minister’s record on defence spending, as well as the mandate won in 2019, made him "lean towards" Mr Johnson.
Earlier in the day, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, tweeted a graphic saying “I’m Backing Boris” alongside the hashtag #BORISorBUST.
But veteran backbencher Sir Roger Gale, a long-time critic of Mr Johnson, has warned that a victory for the ex-leader would lead to a wave of resignations.
While Foreign Office minister Jesse Norman said MPs choosing Mr Johnson would be "an absolutely catastrophic decision."
There are several very good potential candidates for Conservative leader. But choosing Boris now would be — and I say this advisedly — an absolutely catastrophic decision. https://t.co/TvUYXa3yA7
— Jesse Norman (@Jesse_Norman) October 21, 2022
Speaking to reporters, Mr Wallace said it was important to “recognise the issue of the mandate”.
He said: “This will be potentially our third prime minister since the general election of 2019, that means we have to think about that legitimacy question that the public will be asking themselves, and also about who could win the next election – that’s obviously important for any political party at the time.
“So at the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson. I think he will still have some questions to answer around, obviously, that investigation [into claims he misled parliament over partygate], but I know when I was Secretary of State for Defence, he invested in defence, he supported me, he supported the actions this country has taken to keep us safe.”
Meanwhile, according to the Telegraph, supporters Rishi Sunak have suggested the two could worth together to unite the party.
Mr Sunak would be Prime Minister, while Mr Johnson could become Home Secretary.
One supporter of the former chancellor told the paper: “The next Conservative leader needs a team from the top of Cabinet right down that reflects the breadth of talent and of views in the Conservative Party.
“Personally, I think that means that Rishi should offer both Penny [Mordaunt] and Boris positions in that team. Boris would be a great Home Secretary - able to finally deal with the issue of illegal cross-Channel migration he’s been talking about getting a grip on for years.”
A second, asked about the idea of Mr Johnson being offered the Home Office, said: “I think we need to do anything to keep the party together. I’d countenance anything.”
Earlier this year, Mr Johnson was forced to apologise after being fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules.
He and Mr Sunak were both given fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday party in the Cabinet room in Downing Street in June 2020.
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