Leading Conservatives have warned that Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden must not become the party’s caretaker leader if the Tories lose the General Election next week.
Mr Dowden has been largely absent from television since Rishi Sunak called the election at the end of May, the Mirror reports, although he is expected on Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips on Sky News on Sunday.
He is reported to have been a key voice urging the Prime Minister to call the election on July 4.
The Mirror reports that if the Conservatives are defeated, and Rishi Sunak resigns as party leader, then senior Tories want to ensure Dowden does not take over.
According to the paper, a Tory source said that Mr Dowden must be sent “into political exile” in the event the party loses.
The source added: “He should be nowhere near the leadership of the party in future. A useless DPM with terrible political judgment. He’s one of the reasons we are in this mess.”
Mr Dowden is standing to retain his seat in Hertsmere, which he has held since 2015.
The Hertfordshire constituency has been Conservative since it was created in 1983 and Mr Dowden received a majority of 21,313 in 2019.
However, a recent MRP poll by WeThink suggests that this majority could slip, and even suggested the possibility of a Labour gain in the seat.
In his role as deputy, Mr Dowden takes Mr Sunak’s place at Prime Minister’s Questions when he is not available.
On one occasion, Labour Deputy leader Angela Rayner mocked him, asking if he had realised he had stabbed Boris Johnson in the back to make way for a “pint-sized loser”.
