The battle to be Theresa May’s successor heats up in Westminster

The race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader is hotting up with more than six high profile Tories canvassing the support of MPs.

It is understood that senior Tories believe Theresa May will have to step aside in order to get her Brexit deal through Parliament.

Even aides in the PM’s team believe she will be gone by the summer and prospective candidates are already busy building alliances and promises in the tea rooms of Westminster.

As pressure mounts on the prime minister to set a date for leaving Downing Street, former cabinet members Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Esther McVey believe they could be the ideal candidate to follow through on Brexit whereas ministers Sahid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock hope to be the establishment’s choice.

Under leadership election rules, the top two candidates after MPs vote go forward to the second round when the pro-Brexit membership have their say.

Ex-Foreign Secretary Johnson still holds ambitions to be Prime Minister but a controversial career of U-turns, gaffes and infidelities means he has plenty of enemies within the party.

Johnson was favourite to win the post referendum leadership in 2016 until Michael Gove launched a withering attack on Boris as he entered the contest himself.

While former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has already built a small team of former ministers, including Sir Hugo Swire and Shailesh Vara, to do his bidding.

One supporter told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Boris Johnson had his chance and blew it. There is life beyond Brexit and we need someone to take the party there. Dominic will bring everyone on board.’

Another added: ‘Dominic Raab is seen as the new face of the new generation; someone who has not been tarnished by what is happening now.’

Brexiteer Esther McVey has already said she is considering standing, telling Sophy Ridge on Sky News today: ‘If there was enough people supporting me, I would stand.’

Former pensions minister McVey is believed to have the backing of senior DUP MPs.

While Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has emerged as a serious contender for the top job and supporters of Home Secretary Sajid Javid have been canvassing support in Portcullis House, with one MP telling The Times: ‘They’ve been here all week.’

Former Chancellor George Osborne is believed to have cooled his support of Javid claiming he is ‘accident prone’ after recent scandals about knife crime, migrants in the channel and Shamina Begum.

Osborne now reportedly supports Health Secretary Matt Hancock who has impressed with his defence of May’s deal.

Conservative MPs – whose votes the prime minister desperately needs to pass her Brexit deal – have signalled they would back her plan if she sets out a date for her departure.