Senior Conservative Party insiders are trying to bring back Boris Johnson as Tory leader - replacing Kemi Badenoch just six months after she took the top job.

The move comes days after a YouGov poll revealed the Conservatives have sunk to fourth place in the polls, behind the Liberal Democrats.

The development has sent shockwaves through the party, with MPs describing the poll as a "line in the sand" and suggesting they cannot afford to continue with Badenoch's leadership much longer.

A group of former Conservative MPs are reportedly in talks to convince the ex-PM to make a dramatic return to frontline politics.

Badenoch has been the leader of the Tories since November 2024

The Sun on Sunday has revealed details of the plot, with MPs fearing their party is on the brink of extinction and could be replaced by Reform UK as the new party of the right.

A senior Tory said: "Some of the old gang around Boris Johnson are back texting and in talks to get him to return.

"The feeling is he is the only man who can take on Nigel Farage and win. They want to bring back Boris."

Another Conservative figure stated: "Team Boris are talking again. There are even some people in Tory HQ who are moonlighting on Project Boris."

Earlier this month, a More in Common poll found that Johnson is the Tory Party's best chance of beating Nigel Farage in a race for Number 10.

Their survey suggested that under Johnson, the Conservatives would top the voter poll with 26 per cent, followed by Reform on 23 per cent and Labour on 22 per cent.

In stark contrast, under Badenoch's leadership, the party is predicted to limp in at third place.

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove defended Badenoch's leadership, suggesting that her "instincts on almost every issue are right".

Johnson has been tipped to replace Badenoch

Gove told Times Radio: "She has shown a courage that very few other people in British politics have."

However, Boris Johnson's former spinner Guto Harri offered a more pessimistic assessment of Badenoch's prospects, stating that "we inevitably are heading for another leadership challenge".

A Tory source dismissed the questions in leadership, telling The Sun on Sunday: "Anyone who thinks that changing leader after 6 months will help needs to get real.

"The Conservative Party suffered its worst ever defeat last year, and renewing the party from the ground up is going to take time."