Senior Tories fear Johnson and Truss will sabotage Sunak’s election campaign

Senior Tories fear Rishi Sunak is facing a vicious circle of party ill-discipline, amid concerns that attacks from Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman will signal his inability to restore authority in the months before the general election.

Photograph: Michael Brochstein/REX/ShutterstockThere is already anger among Sunak’s allies at Johnson, who has made a series of criticisms over the past week, despite hopes that the relationship between the two men had thawed.

One said the former prime minister remained a “bitter, twisted and vengeful” figure after Johnson attacked the foreign secretary, David Cameron, for and described Sunak’s plan for a gradual smoking ban as “absolutely nuts”.

Some senior figures hope that the increasing scrutiny on Labour as the election approaches will become a “unifying force” for the Tories, given that only the prospect of Keir Starmer becoming prime minister is potent enough to unite the warring factions.

Sunak is pinning his political hopes on an economic recovery, combined with another round of tax cuts in an autumn statement held shortly before voters are expected to go to the polls.

However, the passing of the Rwanda bill brings a potential clash with the European convention on human rights (ECHR) a step closer – and another party split over humanitarian concerns.