Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak Meet Ahead Tory Leadership Poll In UK: Report

Conservative rivals Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak held face-to-face talks late Saturday, reports said, as the feuding pair who once headed Britain's government were poised to battle for the leadership...

Conservative rivals Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reportedly held face-to-face talks late on Saturday night, as the rival couple who once headed the British government were about to battle for leadership of the separate ruling party.

Former Prime Minister Johnson,

The BBC and others, who returned from a Caribbean vacation earlier in the day aiming to launch a bold political comeback just weeks after leaving office, have reported former finance minister Sunak to discuss the race.

Both have yet to announce that they will run to replace outgoing leader Liz Truss, who announced Thursday that she would be stepping down -

Only 44 windy days in her tenure.

These are believed to be their first personal discussions in months, after the stunning rift following Sunak's resignation in July that helped spark the government rebellion that eventually led to Johnson's ouster.

Few details have emerged about what The Sun described as a "secret summit" and the Sunday Times said it was going on around 10:00 pm (2100 GMT). The Sunday Telegraph reported that they were set to discuss "the approval of a joint ticket" to avoid a "civil war" for the Conservative Party.

This preposterous scenario comes as Sunak leads the Conservative Party's nominations to be the next leader, with the 42-year-old easily securing the party's 100 minimum set to compete for the UK's highest office.

He has public support from 128 Conservative MPs, compared to Johnson's 53 and 23 for Cabinet member Penny Mordaunt,

Which was the first to be officially announced, on Friday.

Johnson cut short a luxury stay in the Dominican Republic to apparently join the tripartite conflict, with allies saying he was "prepared for it".

The 58-year-old Brexiteer relinquished power in early September,

Two months after he announced his resignation in the wake of a government rebellion over a large number of scandals.

Unpredictability

The Conservative Party has now been forced into a second leadership contest, this time in an acceleration, since the summer after Truss resigned after her mini-budget to cut taxes led to economic and political turmoil.

Referring to the losses from the turmoil, rating agency Moody's said on Friday it had cut Britain's forecast, partly blaming "the unpredictability of policymaking".

Meanwhile, the pound - which hit a record low against the dollar in the immediate aftermath of the mini-budget, but has since risen - has fallen.

Johnson's apparent attempt to regain power has already been denounced by opposition politicians, and even some in his separate ruling party who are demanding stability and unity.

“It simply isn't right to risk repeating the chaos (and) confusion of the past year," said David Frost, a member of the Right.

Jinnah is a former Loyal Minister appointed to the House of Lords by Johnson.

He urged the Conservatives: "We must move forward," adding that they "must stand behind a capable leader who can implement a conservative programme," which he described as former Finance Minister Sunak.

Dominic Raab - Deputy Prime Minister under Johnson - echoed those comments,

Telling Sky News an impending parliamentary investigation into the Partygate scandal that befell his former boss can be very distracting.

Veteran MP Roger Gill also warned that Johnson could face a wave of resignations from MPs who refuse to serve under him again.

Meanwhile in a major coup for Sunak Commerce Minister Kimi Badenouche,

In an article in the Sunday Times, an influential right-winger said he would "be a great leader in times of crisis".

"Hagwash"

The accelerated competition will see 357 Conservative MPs hold a vote Monday on any candidate with 100 nominations, ahead of a possible online ballot of party members later in the week if two remain.

James Dodridge, a Conservative MP, a key ally of Johnson, who confirmed on Friday that the former leader was intent on standing up, said on Saturday he now had the support of 100 of his colleagues.

But the claim was met with skepticism by other conservatives, with one MP telling the BBC it was "nonsense".

However, Johnson has been endorsed by many heavyweight Conservative Party members,

Including on Saturday former Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who posted a photo of Johnson over the phone on his Facebook, revealed he supported him after "a long conversation about everything past and present".

"My inbox is full of BBB (Boris Re)" he said,

Referring to an acronym and hashtag used by its proponents.

Although he remains popular with party members who can decide on the contest, polls show he is widely unpopular with the electorate, with a YouGov poll finding that 52 percent oppose his return.

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