Boris Johnson emerges as favourite to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader after cabinet resignation

New polling shows the ex-foreign secretary commands 29 per cent of support among Tory activists

Boris Johnson has emerged as the favourite to succeed Theresa May for the first time in two years, in a sign his shock resignation over Brexit has gone down well among grassroots Tories.

New polling shows the ex-foreign secretary commands 29 per cent of support among Conservative activists, giving him a 10-point lead over his nearest rival, the home secretary Sajid Javid.

Prominent Eurosceptic backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg secured 13 per cent of votes, with Michael Gove on 7 per cent and David Davis and Jeremy Hunt both winning around 4 per cent of votes, according to a poll by ConservativeHome.

Last month, Mr Johnson was in fifth position to become Tory leader with only eight per cent of the votes but his outlook appears to have improved since he dramatically quit the cabinet in protest at the prime minister's Brexit approach.

It is the first time the Brexiteer has topped the influential website's monthly leadership poll since 2016, when he gave his backing to the Leave campaign.

Ms May sought to unite her warring cabinet behind a new Brexit plan during an away-day at her Chequers retreat last month.

However the fragile peace was shattered when both Mr Davis and Mr Johnson resigned within hours of each other, both claiming they could not support her proposals which would keep Britain too closely aligned to the EU.

Mr Johnson warned the "Brexit dream is dying" in an explosive resignation letter, where he told Ms May that her plans could mean Britain becomes a "colony" of the EU.

He went on to make a critical Commons speech where he savagely attacked her Brexit plans as a “democratic disaster” that will leave the UK in “miserable permanent limbo” after it leaves the EU.

While he stopped short of directly challenging the prime minister, Mr Johnson made it clear that he was still a force to be reckoned with, claiming "it was not too late to save Brexit".

He told MPs: “Let us again aim explicitly for that glorious vision of Lancaster House – a strong, independent self-governing Britain that is genuinely open to the world.

“Not the miserable permanent limbo of Chequers, not the democratic disaster of ongoing harmonisation with no way out and no say for the UK.”

A separate poll for ConservativeHome also suggests that 45 per cent of grassroots Tories want Ms May to announce her resignation now.

The prime minister is due to cut short her holiday to hold private talks with French president Emmanuel Macron at his official residence later this week, as the cabinet continues its Brexit charm offensive in Europe.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt will hold talks in Vienna with Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl, having already delivered a blunt message to the EU that the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit is increasing by the day.