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15th July 2022
10:08am BST
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Rishi Sunak makes a speech to launch his bid to be leader of the Conservative (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)[/caption]
Truss has been publicly backed by some of Johnson's closest cabinet allies - including Nadine Dorries, Jabob Rees-Mogg and attorney general Suella Braverman.
He is also said to be open to Penny Mordaunt taking on the role.
A source told the publication: “The whole No 10 team hates Rishi. It’s personal. It’s vitriolic.
“They don’t blame Saj [Sajid Javid] for bringing him down. They blame Rishi. They think he was planning this for months.”
Another source claimed there had been concerns that Mr Sunak would go “soft” on Putin and sanctions against Russia, a topic Johnson views as part of his legacy.
A friend of Mr Johnson said: “Of course he’s disappointed, of course he’s frustrated.
“He’s been pushing Rishi for a compelling growth strategy for many months without success.
"So alongside the sense of betrayal is a sense of regret about what could have already been well underway.
“But he’s very clear his commitment is overwhelmingly to the British people and that electing a leader who will deliver for them is paramount, even if personally painful for him.”
Although, an ally of the Tory leader-hopeful has hit back that Mr Sunak had no intention of going easy on Moscow.
They said: “Rishi led the way in enforcing the toughest sanctions on Russia and ensured that our allies followed suit.”
September 5 is thought to be the day a new leader will be chosen but Boris Johnson will remain in the Commons as an active backbencher.
This isn't entirely uncommon as Theresa May has also remained an MP in the Commons since she stepped down in 2016. Meanwhile, David Cameron quit just two months after he left, saying he feared he would become “a big distraction and a big diversion” if he remained.
Sir Tony Blair quit as an MP on the same day he resigned as Prime Minister in 2007.
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