Remainer Tories accused of launching Project Fear campaign to stop Boris becoming PM
Boris is the current frontrunner to become the next Tory leader
REMAINER Tories have been accused of running a smear campaign against their own MPs - by trying to stop Boris from becoming PM.
Boris is the current frontrunner to become the next Tory leader, but dozens are firmly against him and are determined to block his path.
He's set to launch his official campaign to replace Theresa May within days, and has promised already to take Britain out of the EU in October, deal or No Deal.
Iain Duncan Smith - who hasn't yet said who he will vote for - said today that anyone trying to stop him becoming PM was peddling yet another version of Project Fear.
He wrote in the Telegraph: "I am concerned that this very negative theme, like an undercurrent flowing through this contest already, is our old friend, Project Fear.
"In it, people attach their negative assumption about 'no deal' to another candidate.
"In so doing they feel free to claim that dreadful consequences will follow."
Over the weekend Remainers urged MPs to stand up and oppose Boris.
Rory Stewart said he couldn't serve under him in a Cabinet, and told his One Nation Tory colleagues they head to try and stop him now.
And Remainer Philip Hammond also hinted that he might not back the party if it left without a deal.
This will ensure that "Project Fear would be a critical part of the leadership election", Mr Duncan Smith added of his "blood curdling" suggestions.
He said there was a huge risk of any leadership contest becoming a "vicious, personal and utterly negative process".
All sides should stop their "sinister conspiracy games" and all candidates should rally around whoever gets elected, he stressed.
"After all, the public has made it very clear to us they are tired of this petty brand of Westminster politics. Having voted to leave three years ago, they are rightly demanding that we get on and deliver Brexit."
Several Tories have already thrown their hats in the ring to replace Mrs May when she stands down this summer.
Hancock calls on leadership rivals to rule out snap election which could bring Corbyn to power
By Hugo Gye
TORY leadership contenders should rule out holding a snap election which could hand Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10, would-be PM Matt Hancock said today.
The Health Secretary challenged his rivals to join him in pledging not to dissolve Parliament and hold a fresh General Election.
He insisted it would be a disaster to go back to the the country before the Tories have delivered Brexit.
Mr Hancock wrote in The Times: "A General Election before Brexit would be madness. It would be bad for our country and catastrophic for our party."
That means we have to deliver Brexit through this Parliament, whether we like it or not. And the brutal truth is that plans that cannot command the confidence of Parliament would risk a General Election."
We would be punished for our failure to deliver Brexit and under any leader this would risk Corbyn by Christmas."I call on all my fellow contenders publicly to rule out an early general election for the sake of the country and the Conservative Party."
Mr Hancock's call is a warning to contenders who are planning to go for a No Deal Brexit in the teeth of opposition from Remainer MPs in the Commons.
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Boris is the favourite to win but is closely followed by Dominic Raab and Jeremy Hunt.
Mr Stewart, Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Matt Hancock are also in the running.
MPs will whittle down the names after June 7, and the final candidates will then go around the country for a series of debates and hustings.
Only Tory members will get to elect the new PM.
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