Boris Johnson has said he wants to remain prime minister and lead the Tories into the next general election, it has been reported.
According to The Telegraph, the PM - who announced his resignation just two weeks ago - told Conservative peer Lord Cruddas he wanted to “wipe away” anything preventing him from staying in Number 10.
More than 10,000 Tory members have signed a petition organised by Cruddas demanding they be given a vote on whether Johnson should be allowed to quit.
The peer and the PM reportedly had lunch at Chequers on Friday at which Johnson spoke of his regret at being forced out over his handling of the Chris Pincher affair.
Cruddas told The Telegraph: “There was no ambiguity in Boris’s views. He definitely does not want to resign. He wants to carry on and he believes that, with the membership behind him, he can.”
The peer added: “He wants to carry on to finish the job. He wants to fight the next general election as leader of the Conservative Party.”
Responding to the report, one Tory MP told HuffPost UK: “Dear oh dear. Mad.”
The prime minister’s official spokesman poured cold water on the prospect of Johnson remaining in office.
He said: “The prime minister has resigned as party leader and set out his intention to stand down as PM when the new leader is in place.”
The report comes as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss prepare to go head-to-head in a live TV debate in their contest to replace Johnson as Tory leader and prime minister.