Image source, Reuters

Just over half of Britons would be unhappy to see Boris Johnson return to No 10, according to a fresh YouGov poll, external.

The figures are based on a poll of 3,429 adults who were surveyed today - 52% of which don't want to see Johnson succeed Liz Truss.

It also found 27% of those polled would be happy to see Johnson return, and 18% neither happy nor unhappy.

The latest development in the Tory Party leadership contest is Penny Mordaunt's announcement that she's entering the race.

The Commons leader lost out to Liz Truss in the last contest this summer, coming third behind former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who is expected to put his name in the hat again this time around.

We've also been hearing a lot today about a possible Boris Johnson political comeback, with cabinet ministers already indicating they'll back a leadership bid.

While only Mordaunt has officially entered the contest, there's also been murmurings that other former contenders could enter the ring again, namely Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch.

Braveman, who resigned as home secretary this week, said earlier she would release a statement on her intentions in "due course". She appeals to her party's right wing on social issues, but was voted out in the second round of the previous summer race.

Image source, PA Media

Badenoch was the surprise breakthrough candidate in the last leadership contest. The international trade secretary would not be drawn today on her plans, but as The Telegraph reports, external, both she and Braverman worry they won't get enough support to launch realistic bids - remember they have to get 100 MP backers by Monday lunchtime.

The other candidate in this summer's leadership contest, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, quickly ruled out joining the race.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who didn't run last time around despite being the bookies' favourite to succeed Johnson, also said he won't partake in the contest.

Mordaunt pitches herself as unity candidatepublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 21 October 2022

16:17 BST 21 October 2022

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

By jumping first Penny Mordaunt may be hoping to benefit from ‘first mover advantage’ - when someone hopes to steal a march on competitors by getting out in front and getting a bandwagon rolling.

She is currently trailing Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson by quite a wide margin in the number of public declarations of support from fellow MPs, with fewer than 20 compared to more than 60 for Sunak.

In the final ballot of MPs in last summer’s contest she got 105 votes. So moving early may be a way of trying to lock-in some of those before others join the race.

She’s clearly trying to pitch herself as the person to bring ‘unity’ to the Conservative Party. There is serious disquiet among some MPs about a possible return by Boris Johnson, and opposition from others to Rishi Sunak too.

But Mordaunt’s weakness compared to both may be her relative lack of experience in senior jobs in government. After Liz Truss, and in the middle of a crisis, are Conservative MPs in the mood to go for another untested leader?

Image source, Reuters

Penny Mordaunt - the leader of the House of Commons - is the first to declare she will be putting herself forward for the role of PM.

So what else do we know about her?

In an eclectic pre-politics career, she worked as a magician's assistant, in hospitals and orphanages in post-Communist Romania, and for the Freight Transport Association.

She headed the Conservative Party's youth wing and was a press officer for William Hague when he was leader.

But she is probably best known outside Westminster for taking part in ITV's celebrity diving show Splash! in 2014.

Moving onto her political career, under David Cameron she was armed forces minister. She then became the first woman to serve as defence secretary under Theresa May, but was sacked after a few months when Boris Johnson took over as PM.

Following Johnson's resignation she stood in the last leadership contest over the summer, and just missed out on getting into the final two.

Read more about her here.

Earlier today, before she confirmed she is running to be Conservative Party leader, Penny Mordaunt held talks with Jeremy Hunt and assured him he would stay as chancellor if she became prime minister, a source tells PA news agency.

Mordaunt also assured Hunt she would deliver the medium-term fiscal plan as proposed on 31 October, the news agency reports.

Image source, Reuters

Penny Mordaunt is the first candidate to officially launch their bid.

She came third in the last contest over the summer, securing strong support from her fellow MPs but just missing out on making it to the final two.

After backing Truss, she was appointed leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council - which meant she presided over the Accession Council for the new king.

And earlier this week, Mordaunt stepped in for Truss in the Commons to answer an urgent question from Labour.

She has so far received support from MPs John Lamont, Maria Miller, Bob Seely and Damian Collins.

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt has confirmed she's standing in the Conservative leadership contest.

Image source, PA Media

Former Brexit minister Lord Frost has urged Tory MPs to "think quite hard" before re-electing Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and PM, saying “there was a reason why he left office”.

Speaking on the BBC podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, he says: "The problem was the sense of confusion and chaos that surrounded him."

Frost referenced Partygate, calling it a "special moment…a very unhappy one".

He resigned his ministerial post last December, saying he could not support the then-PM's "coercive policies on Covid", but insisted he had "huge admiration" for Johnson.

He told Political Thinking it was not "at all surprising" there was "noise" about a comeback for Johnson because he is "a remarkable guy and he can do things that other people can't".

"What people probably want to see is the sense that he can run a government, he can organise things, he has a set of things he wants to deliver, can take decisions, can get things to happen."

Asked if he thinks Johnson can change, Lord Frost said leaders needed to be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and where they need help - "and that's what we didn't quite see I think" [when Johnson was last PM].

Alys Davies
BBC News Live Reporter

Image source, PA Media

With suggestions that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson may stand to be leader of the Conservatives once more, let's re-examine some of his final statements as PM.

When he made his resignation speech in September, one of his remarks fuelled much speculation.

“Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough,” he said from the lectern outside No 10 Downing Street.

The reference from the Oxford University classics graduate seemed somewhat obscure to the ordinary listener, and led to a rise in online searches for Cincinnatus.

Those who weren't clued up on Ancient Roman history learned that Cincinnatus was said to be a legendary 5th Century BC Roman leader, who was called upon to lead Rome in a time of crisis, before later returning to his farm after resigning.

The crucial point people took from this historical tale, however, was that Cincinnatus supposedly made a comeback as a ruler later on.

Many have interpreted this as a suggestion from Johnson that he himself perhaps wishes to return as leader.

In his final session at Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament earlier in July, Johnson also bid goodbye by quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

"Hasta la vista, baby," he said, which translates as, "see you later".

Image source, Reuters

The new PM will have to keep Jeremy Hunt as chancellor, according to a former deputy governor of the Bank of England.

Prof Charlie Bean has been telling BBC Radio 4's World At One programme that appointing a new chancellor would "generate volatility".

He says any change to Hunt's economic programme would be "problematic",

"It is a significant tying of hands."

Prof Bean praises Hunt for doing "quite a good job" of calming the markets and setting out a broad direction by "unwinding two-thirds" of the cost of Kwasi Kwarteng's mini budget which caused financial chaos last month.

He says there could be some "tweaking at the margins" of Hunt's plans – but it would be "problematic" if the new PM came in and said they wanted a more significant change in the economic package ahead of the fiscal statement on 31 October.

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent

Bridgnorth, in Shropshire, like the rest of the Ludlow constituency, has been a Conservative stronghold for generations.

Now two of the town's four county councillors are Labour, including one who convincingly won a by-election two weeks ago.

No matter who becomes the next prime minister, the Tory Party knows it needs to urgently reconnect with its core voters.

Bridgnorth Tory councillor Kirsty Hurst-Knight says: "As a Conservative, we’ve been through every emotion over the last few weeks. You go from anger to frustration to despair, and then yesterday there was a sense of relief [when Liz Truss resigned]."

She says she hopes Boris Johnson returns to Downing Street but warns: "The cabinet has now got to come together. People are in crisis, we're facing a really difficult winter."

Andy Corfield, landlord of the town's Crown pub, says he cannot decide whether Johnson should come back, adding that the former PM had been "tainted with Partygate".

"I’m not sure whether we need someone fresh who hasn’t, but also we need someone with experience, which Boris does have," he says.

Butcher Mike Pearce says the Tory Party needs to "buck their ideas up".

"Everybody now is fed up to the high teeth with the Conservatives," he says but insists he would still vote Conservative.

He's backing Rishi Sunak to take over the top job: "He seems to have got his head screwed on a bit more. They should have put him in in the first place."

Noor Nanji
Business reporter

Let's get an update on the markets now.

The pound has fallen further against the dollar on Friday and was trading below $1.11 in the early afternoon.

Sterling is down 1.4% against the dollar today.

It comes after new figures released this morning painted a gloomy picture for the UK economy.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed government borrowing rising to its second highest September on record, and retail sales falling by more than expected.

Uncertainty in Westminster is also weighing on the pound today, currency strategist Jane Foley told the BBC.

"While sterling rallied yesterday on Truss's resignation, I think investors have realised today that it's not a guarantee that we'll get a market-friendly outcome from the Conservative leadership contest," she says.

Image source, .

Image source, PA Media

Simon Clarke, the levelling up secretary, becomes the second cabinet minister to definitively back Boris Johnson as Tory Party leader.

In a joint statement to Daily Telegraph, external with the Tees Valley mayor, he says Johnson would lead "a broad-based, inclusive government drawing on talent from right across the Conservative Party, driven by a disciplined Downing Street".

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has already backed Johnson, while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he was "leaning" towards supporting him.

Clarke, a Truss loyalist, said Johnson "is the person we need to lead our country and our party" as he can unite the UK, make Brexit a success and control illegal immigration.

No one has yet confirmed they are entering the race, but the BBC's latest tally suggests Rishi Sunak would have the backing of 56 MPs, Johnson would have 33 and Penny Mordaunt would be on 17.

Johnson may struggle to unify partypublished at 14:21 British Summer Time 21 October 2022

14:21 BST 21 October 2022

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

"You have to really want it," said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace about the job of prime minister today.

He clearly does not want it himself.

But he also clearly would like to see the return of his old political friend Boris Johnson.

The two go back a long way. In 2016, Wallace ran Johnson's failed leadership bid after the Brexit referendum.

When Johnson resigned this summer, Wallace is said to have worried that losing him as leader without a plan for a successor would land the party in trouble.

His support today was not totally unqualified. He did nod towards "questions" around Johnson.

The trouble is they are more than just "questions" for a significant number of Tory MPs who remember Johnson for the chaos he brought to Downing Street, the fact he broke the law while in office, was fined, saw dozens of resignations, and is still being investigated by parliament for lying.

Wallace said today a new Tory leader had to have a focus on unity, but that's something Johnson may struggle to bring to his party.

As we said earlier, we've been keeping an eye on the number of Conservative MPs who have declared their support for potential contenders in the leadership election so far.

Take a look at our latest tally:

• Rishi Sunak - 56
• Boris Johnson - 33
• Penny Mordaunt - 17

You can see exactly which MP has backed which candidate by clicking here.

No one has publicly said they're running yet.

Our tally is based on MPs telling the BBC who they’re backing, or publicly declaring for a potential candidate, as compiled by the BBC.

You may say see different counts online – as others may be including MPs who've privately told them who they're backing.

We'll bring you updates on the numbers as we get them.

Other names being floated as potential contenders are former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and international trade secretary Kemi Badenoch. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace earlier ruled himself out of the contest.

Candidates need the support of at least 100 MPs by 14:00 on Monday - a much higher threshold than the last leadership race.

The Conservative Party's "revolving door of chaos" must end, says Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Reacting to rumours Boris Johnson might make a bid to return to No 10, Starmer says Johnson was "declared unfit for office" only three months ago by Johnson's own MPs.

"This is the most powerful argument you could possibly have for a general election," says the Labour leader.

Starmer was speaking before Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he was "leaning towards" backing Boris Johnson returning to No 10.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton has criticised the "Boris or bust" hashtag used by Jacob Rees-Mogg to announce his backing for Johnson to return as prime minister.

"Jacob - how on earth can that slogan be remotely helpful to the party given the strong possibility that the next PM will not be Boris?" Loughton writes on Twitter.

The MP for East Worthing and Shoreham says Rees-Mogg should rethink the hashtag if he has "any interest in party unity".

Rees-Mogg, who is business secretary, was the first cabinet minister to offer their support to Johnson.

Image source, MOD

If you're just joining us, here's a quick recap of all the day's key events:

• Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race and says he would "lean towards" supporting former PM Boris Johnson at the moment
• Wallace adds he's still looking at other "excellent candidates" and that Johnson still has "questions to answer" about a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled MPs over Covid rule-breaking
• No-one has announced their intention to run yet - but among the rumoured frontrunners to replace Truss are, former candidates Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, and Johnson
• A BBC tally shows 45 MPs are backing Sunak, 24 are backing Johnson, and Mordaunt has 17. Contenders need 100 backers by 14:00 on Monday
• Labour leader Keir Starmer and other opposition parties have called for an immediate general election

• There will be a hustings on Monday to help Tory MPs decide who to back in the leadership race

Just 24 hours ago Liz Truss announced she was stepping down as prime minister, making her the shortest-serving PM in UK history.

The contest to replace her is now heating up, with more MPs coming forwards to say who they are backing by the hour.

Here's a quick rundown of what the next couple of weeks is likely to involve:

Image source, .

As we've reported, no candidates to succeed Liz Truss have officially announced their bids yet but we're starting to get an idea of the level of support for possible contenders.

In the last hour and a half, the three rumoured frontrunners have seen an increase of one MP each backing them.

Here is our list so far of how many MPs have backed them:

• Rishi Sunak - 45
• Boris Johnson - 24
• Penny Mordaunt - 17

This is based on Conservative MPs telling the BBC who they’re backing, or publicly declaring for a potential candidate, as compiled by the BBC.

We'll keep bringing you updates on the numbers as we get them - the picture may well change rapidly throughout the day and over the weekend.

Other names being floated are former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch. As we've heard, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out.

Candidates need the support of at least 100 MPs by 14:00 on Monday - a much higher threshold than the last leadership race.