Boris Johnson is coming under pressure from within his own party to ditch his attempted comeback as prime minister, amid fears that he could pit activists against MPs in a way that would tarnish the Conservative brand for a generation.
Withdrawal from the race to succeed Liz Truss as Tory leader would almost certainly lead to the coronation on Monday of Mr Johnson’s main rival Rishi Sunak, who formally announced his candidacy on Sunday with a promise of “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.
