Boris Johnson ‘does not want to resign’ and ‘wished he could carry on’ as PM, claims Tory pal

'I would wipe away everything that stops me being PM in a second'

Boris Johnson has allegedly said he doesn't "want to resign" and wishes "he could carry on as Prime Minister despite his earlier resignation. As former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss battle it out for the Conservative leadership spot, a former Tory party treasurer, Lord Cruddas, has launched a grassroots campaign in support of the current PM. As he told The Telegraph, Lord Cruddas was attending a lunch at the Chequers on Friday when Johnson shared his thoughts on his final weeks as PM. Thousands have signed lord Cruddas' petition to get Johnson onto the Tory leadership ballot. [caption id="attachment_350466" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Via Getty[/caption] "There was no ambiguity in Boris's views. He definitely does not want to resign," he said. "He wants to carry on and he believes that, with the membership behind him, he can." Johnson said he was "enjoying" Cruddas' campaign but did acknowledge that "he could understand the membership's anger at what had happened." https://twitter.com/PoliticsJOE_UK/status/1551671338565263361 When the PM was asked whether he'd like to "wipe" his resignation away, he replied: "I would wipe away everything that stops me being PM in a second." "He wants to carry on and finish the job. He wants to fight the next general election as leader of the Conservative party," Cruddas added. Downing Street was forced to issue a statement after Johnson's comments that read: "The prime minister has resigned as party leader and set out his intention to stand down as PM when the new leader is in place," a No 10 spokesperson said on Monday." Approximately 200,000 Conservative Party members will decide the next PM, with Truss and Sunak now the only candidates left. Related links:

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