Although Mordaunt has denied claims that she is behind the plot, the mood in the Tory party continues to turn against Sunak.
Tory MPs have revealed how many letters of no-confidence have been submitted in Rishi Sunak, amid increasing talk of toppling the Tory leader ahead of the general election.
Reports of a plot to remove Sunak have intensified, following a disastrous few weeks for the Prime Minister which have included dire poll ratings as well as the defection of Lee Anderson to Reform UK and a racism row engulfing the party after its biggest donor, Frank Hester, was revealed to have made racist comments about Diane Abbott.
With a general election looming and with the Tories continuing to trail the Labour Party in the polls, reports emerged over the weekend that rebel Tory factions had united behind Penny Mordaunt as the preferred candidate to replace Sunak.
Although Mordaunt has denied claims that she is behind the plot, the mood in the Tory party continues to turn against Sunak.
Now Tory MPs have told GB News that at least 40 no-confidence letters have been submitted-just 13 short of the required 53 for a confidence vote.
One senior Tory told Christopher Hope that Tory MPs will move against Sunak this week.
Sunak is reported to be using the threat of a summer election to keep Tory rebels in check, however with the party continuing to perform badly in the polls, a number of Tories fear that it will just keep on getting worse unless they act.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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