The Latest Breaking News from Penny Mordaunt

“Stop messing around” was Kemi Badenoch’s forthright advice to desperate Tory backbenchers, flirting with a Hail Mary leader switch before the election. The ex-defence secretary, Ben Wallace, who speaks as if addressing a slightly dim Army platoon, put the same thought just more pessimistically, as he urged colleagues to set…

Allies of Commons leader say other future candidates for top job are trying to make her look disloyal

Claims of a leadership bid are ‘bonkers’, say Penny Mordaunt’s allies. But so too is staying silent while the PM stumbles towards an election, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

Should Australia drop Mitchell Starc? It doesn't matter whether you hold strong views on the fast bowler's inability to take wickets with the old ball, or whether you've never heard of the bloke. The real question is this: would his replacement be better or worse?

Two prime ministers in the space of two years may be a disagreeable necessity. Three starts to look like Italy. But four? Four! The very possibility that the Tory party, even given its well-known ruthlessness, may present the nation with another unelected leader before the election is, in the words…

Former defence secretary tells colleagues there is no alternative to Rishi Sunak and to ‘get on with’ preparing for an election

PM’s allies fight rearguard action as rebellious MPs reportedly plot coup to avoid wipeout at the polls

Even centrist Tories are questioning if the PM can last until autumn after twin blows of donor scandal and rightwinger’s move to Reform

Cabinet minister urges backbenchers to have confidence in party leadership amid reports of plot to remove PM

Frank Hester, Lee Anderson, an unpopular budget … as the catalogue of Conservative disasters piles up, discipline seems to be breaking down, and any hope of election victory fading

Senior Tories have rallied around the PM amid claims that some party MPs are plotting to replace him with Penny Mordaunt