Sajid Javid backs Boris Johnson to become next prime minister

Home secretary is the most senior minister to endorse Mr Johnson

Sajid Javid has thrown his weight behind Boris Johnson‘s campaign amid speculation he was setting his sights on becoming the chancellor.

The home secretary, who is the most senior minister to endorse Mr Johnson, said his candidate was “better placed” than rival candidate Jeremy Hunt to “deliver what we need to do at this critical time”.

In a sign of his ambitions to succeed Philip Hammond at No 11, Mr Javid was expected to make a speech this week in which he will call for an emergency budget to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

“Trust in our democracy will be at stake if we don’t make 31 October a ‘deal or no deal’ deadline,” Mr Javid was expected say, according to The Sunday Times.

“To prepare that, we are agreed on the need for ramped-up no-deal preparations, including a budget.”

It comes after a poll revealed Mr Johnson was on course for a landslide victory in the race for the Tory crown, securing the backing of nearly three-quarters of Conservative members.

Mr Hunt, the foreign secretary, was scrambling to make up ground as ballot papers went out to party faithful, ahead of the voting deadline on 22 July.

But as the result appeared to be clear, senior Tories were considering their positions in a government led by Mr Johnson.

David Gauke, the justice secretary, said he would resign rather than serve in a no-deal cabinet.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “Assuming that he wins, if Boris’s position is that he is going to require every member of the cabinet to sign up to being prepared to leave without a deal on 31 October. To be fair to him, I can’t support that policy so I would resign in advance.”

Mr Gauke said a “sizeable number” of Tory MPs who were discussing parliamentary bids to block a chaotic Brexit.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson used a series of weekend interviews to talk tough on Brexit, telling The Sunday Telegraph that he was not bluffing over his commitment to deliver Brexit by Halloween.

He said: “We were pretty much ready on 29 March. And we will be ready by 31 October.

“And it’s vital that our partners see that. They have to look deep into our eyes and think, ‘my god, these Brits actually are going to leave. And they’re going to leave on those terms’.

“Everybody who says ‘I can’t stand the idea of a no-deal Brexit’, what they really mean is actually they don’t want to leave at all.”

Mr Hunt also said he was not bluffing about being willing to walk away without a deal, although he told The Sunday Telegraph it was “not the most secure way of guaranteeing Brexit” because MPs would try to block it.

He also promised an overhaul of treason laws to “make the punishment fit the crime”, with life sentences for Britons who join jihadi groups fighting against UK forces.