Boris Johnson’s allies are drawing up a list of Tory MPs in safe seats who might be willing to stand down to create a vacancy for the Prime Minister.
Senior sources claimed Mr Johnson was “testing the water” over moving to a constituency with a much larger Conservative majority.
Recent polls have suggested he could be in danger of losing his own seat of Uxbridge, where he has a majority of just 7,210, at the next general election.
The PM is understood to want to remain on the back benches and there have been reports he hopes to stage a political comeback with another bid for No 10.
One insider even suggested Mr Johnson’s allies were prepared to offer honours - including knighthoods and peerages - to loyalist MPs and Tory veterans in safe seats who might contemplate retirement.
“It has been discussed. They’re testing the water with MPs with safe seats," they said.
"They’re prepared to dangle honours in front of ultra-loyalists and those who might be thinking about standing down anyway”.
One name under discussion is that of Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, one of the PM’s closest allies, whose mid-Bedfordshire seat has a 24,600 majority.
If she does not stay in post under the new Tory leader, or decides to leave the Cabinet, friends believe there is a chance she could quit Parliament entirely.
Mr Johnson could then potentially make the so-called "chicken run" to her true blue home counties seat.
A second source told the Mirror: “Boris thinks the Tory party has made a huge mistake getting rid of him and, with time, will come to regret it.
It might sound deluded but his team thinks he can have another go at Prime Minister if he holds on.
"But sticking with Uxbridge would be risky. So they’re looking at options”.
Mr Johnson's personal appeal with Tory voters in his West London seat, a popular local Conservative council and strong grassroots campaigners should, in theory, make ousting the top Tory a difficult task.
However, modelling earlier this month from Britain Elects predicted that Labour could get 43.7% of the vote in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, an increase of 6.1% on 2019, if there was an election held today. Mr Johnson's vote share would drop by 11.5%, giving him just 41.1% of the vote.
Labour and Lib Dem voters have shown themselves willing to vote tactically in recent by-elections while constituency boundary changes would add Northolt, regarded as a Labour area, to the seat.
Young professional graduates who are more likely to vote against the Tories have been moving in droves out of central London to suburbs like Hillingdon.
A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has not had any such conversations. He is proud to represent the people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.”
Mr Johnson is drawing up his resignation honours list, which is expected to include big ticket donors, including members of his “advisory committee” of donors said to be granted access to senior ministers in return for giving more than £250,000 to the party.
Conservative chairman Ben Elliot - whose firm has been accused of selling access to Prince Charles and boasting of links to “Russian elites” - is also being lined up for a gong.
Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, Culture secretary Ms Dorries and Sir Nicholas Soames - the former Tory MP and grandson of Winston Churchill - are understood to have been put on the list.
But the House of Lords Appointment Commission, which vets peerage nominations, is said to be holding up Mr Johnson’s plans.
