Senior Conservative officials are perfecting a plan to replace Kemi Badenoch with Boris Johnson, former prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK), as the party leader. This was reported yesterday by the UK’s Sun.

The plot follows the Tories’ loss of 674 council seats in the May 1 local elections – two-thirds of what the party was defending. Reform UK, a rival party, won 677 council seats. One opinion poll placed the Tories in fourth place – behind Reform, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats.

The Tories’ staggering loss came a week after poll ratings for the party significantly dipped, leaving officials frustrated and drafting a plan to kick out Badenoch. The polls indicated that Badenoch has performed poorly and focused on the wrong issues in the six months she has led the party.

“We keep sharpening our knives and putting them back down again. Things are pretty grim,” The Sun quoted a Tory official as saying. The unrest comes as Reform UK gained increased popularity, positioning the party as the new favoured right-wing faction.

Earlier this month, a separate poll found that Johnson is the Conservative Party’s best chance of beating Nigel Farage, Reform’s leader, in the elections. Johnson became the UK prime minister in 2019, after serving as the Mayor of London and foreign secretary.

He was forced to resign in July 2022 after a series of scandals. The former prime minister had considered making a comeback after Liz Truss, his successor, was also forced to step down but was swept aside by Rishi Sunak.

Under party rules, Badenoch’s position cannot be challenged until 12 months after she became Conservative leader. That means it could take place in November.

However, officials are considering other options, including mass calls for resignation by members of the shadow cabinet. Other candidates being considered as Badenoch’s replacement include Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary, and Laura Trott, shadow education secretary.