By yesterday evening, the number of MPs offering their public backing had reached 127 for Mr Sunak, 54 for Mr Johnson and 23 for Ms Mordaunt. They suspect they were being 'bluffed' into 'folding' too soon. The two men have been political foes since Mr Sunak's resignation this summer helped to bring down Mr Johnson, and last night allies of the former Chancellor questioned the claim by the Johnson camp that they had secured the backing of the 100 Tory MPs needed to secure a place on the ballot. The former Prime Minister, who flew back to the UK from his Caribbean holiday yesterday, aims to forge 'an alliance in the national interest', in the words of one supporter. However, plans for a face-to-face meeting yesterday afternoon were delayed, with both sides blaming the other for the hold-up. But if Mr Johnson was Prime Minister, the lead would be cut to ten points, with a Labour majority of just 26. When voters were asked how they would vote if Rishi Sunak was the leader, Labour had a lead of 17 per cent and a projected majority of 124. Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who is struggling to get enough MPs to back her leadership bid, would lose to a Labour majority of 216. Meanwhile, a Deltapoll survey for this newspaper found that if a General Election was held today, Labour would have a lead of 25 points - and an astonishing majority of 320. Mr Johnson's hand in the negotiations is strengthened as he would most likely win any ballot of Tory members. In return for giving his former Chancellor a top job, Mr Johnson would expect 'strict loyalty' - and if he couldn't secure that, he would 'leave Rishi to it', an ally said. The former Prime Minister is arguing that if he re-entered No 10 with his former Chancellor in a senior role it would avoid a divisive battle, sources told The Mail on Sunday.
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