Theresa May is reportedly planning to join the fight against a no-deal Brexit, as it has been claimed she is backing Rory Stewart in the leadership race.
Sources close to the prime minister told the Mail on Sunday that she is unhappy with Boris Johnson taking her job, and plans to make his life as difficult as Johnson made hers.
Despite claiming in her premiership that “no-deal is better than a bad deal”, she is convinced that leaving without a deal would be disastrous.
That could mean joining forces with the chancellor Philip Hammond and cabinet members Amber Rudd to stop the UK crashing out of the European Union in October.
A source told the newspaper: “She made little secret of the fact that she did not want Boris to succeed her, and if you study everything she has said it is clear where she now is on no deal.
“The best hope is that Boris is bluffing as usual.”
It has also been claimed that May is backing Rory Stewart in the leadership contest to “keep the race interesting”.
A senior Tory told The Sun: “At the end of the day Mrs May believes the only way to leave is with a deal and Rory is the only candidate really sticking to that.
Another ally said: “No one has asked her but she values loyalty, and while he was quick out the traps in saying he wanted to run, Rory spent most of the year defending her.”