ormer business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that the Conservatives could descend into a “civil war” if they attempt to block Boris Johnson from standing in another constituency.
Mr Johnson caused shockwaves after resigning from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency on Friday in the wake of the partygate inquiry.
There has been speculation Conservative party HQ could thwart a possible bid from the former premier to stand in a safer seat such as Henley or Mid Bedfordshire.
The deadline for would-be Tory candidates to apply to contest those constituencies is Monday afternoon.
And Mr Johnson’s allies in the Commons have warned that any attempt to block him from running could “plunge the Conservatives into civil war”.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Rees-Mogg said Mr Johnson could “easily get back into Parliament at the next election” and was “in pole position to return as Conservative leader if a vacancy should arise”.
He added: “I would most strongly warn Conservative Party managers against any attempt to block Boris if he seeks the party nomination in another seat.
“Any attempt to do so would shatter our fragile party unity and plunge the Conservatives into civil war.”
It came despite former Conservative deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine saying Mr Johnson should not be allowed to run again.
“To me it is inconceivable that in these circumstances he could stand as a Conservative member of parliament again,” he wrote in the Observer.
Mr Johnson stood down as an MP on Friday night, claiming a House of Com mons inquiry was determined to find him guilty over partygate.
In a move that stunned Westminster, he accused the privileges committee of acting as a biased “kangaroo court” that was intent on forcing him out.
He said there had been a “witch hunt” among some Tory MPs who saw his removal as a necessary first step to the reversal of Brexit.
The former prime minister also attacked Rishi Sunak, accusing him of abandoning key Conservative positions as he called on the party to recover its “mojo”.
The decision will trigger a by-election in the marginal seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. However, he left the door open for a return to the Commons, saying he was sad to be leaving Parliament “for now”.
In a statement, Mr Johnson said the Privileges Committee was “determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament.
“They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons.”
He added: “Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court.”
