Some senior Tories believe a joint ticket of Mordaunt (right) and Sunak could unite the party if the PM is forced from office (Picture: Rex/Getty)

Top Tories are considering ousting the prime minister and replacing her with a joint ticket of Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak, it has been claimed.

The move would see either one of Liz Truss’ defeated rivals installed as PM, with the other given a key role as their number two, according to The Times.

The paper reported that Mr Sunak would be Chancellor under a Mordaunt Government, while she would become foreign secretary and deputy prime minister if he took the reigns.

The revelations come amid increasing Conservative unease about Ms Truss’ premiership, with the PM widely expected to make another humiliating U-turn on her disastrous mini-budget, which has sparked financial meltdown.

There has been growing public and private criticism of the PM and her Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, while disastrous polling for the Tories has consistently put Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour around 30 points ahead.

In a bid to avoid an election wipe out, senior Tories are now thought to be seriously discussing removing Ms Truss from office after just six weeks and – instead of electing a new leader – giving her successor a ‘coronation’.

That would require a change to party rules, first to force the PM out in less than a year and then to make sure only one candidate can get enough MPs to back them to make the next stage in a leadership contest.

Could Mr Sunak make a sensational return as PM or Chancellor? (Picture: Getty Images)

One MP told the Times: ‘Rishi’s people, Penny’s people and the sensible Truss supporters who realise she’s a disaster just need to sit down together and work out who the unity candidate is.

‘It’s either Rishi as prime minister with Penny as his deputy and foreign secretary, or Penny as prime minister with Rishi as chancellor.

‘They would promise to lead a government of all the talents and most MPs would fall in behind that.’

That would make the would-be leader the fifth Conservative leader in six years after David Cameron stepped down as PM in July 2016.

Richmond MP Mr Sunak was Boris Johnson’s chancellor and repeatedly warned that Ms Truss’ tax cutting agenda could spark economic turmoil before losing to her in the final stage of this summer’s leadership election.

Ms Mordaunt could come in as deputy prime minister and foreign secretary in a Sunak government, it has been suggested (Picture: Reuters)

Portsmouth North’s Ms Mordaunt came third in that race and was given the role of Leader of the House of Commons by Ms Truss.

A senior Tory told The Times: ‘A coronation won’t be that hard to arrange.

‘In 2019 candidates needed eight MPs to get on the ballot paper. This year they needed 20. Next time it will be however high it needs to be for only one candidate to clear it.’

Earlier today, another unnamed Conservative claimed it is ‘premature’ for the party to think about getting rid of Ms Truss.

The MP said it would be seen as ‘completely bonkers to have three prime ministers in one year’.

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This morning, ConservativeHome editor Paul Goodman told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘All sorts of different people are talking about all sorts of different things because the Conservative backbenchers are casting around for a possible replacement for Kwasi Kwarteng, even for a possible replacement for Liz Truss.

‘All sorts of names are being thrown about, Rishi Sunak, even Boris Johnson, Kit Malthouse, Sajid Javid.

‘But one idea doing the rounds is that Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak, who, after all, between them got pretty much two-thirds of the votes of MPs, come to some kind of arrangement and essentially take over.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted Downing Street for comment.

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Senior Conservative want the pair to make a pact and take over.