It’s being reported in the morning’s national press that Hastings MP Amber Rudd is preparing to pt herself forward as caretaker Prime Minister if MPs ‘sack’ Boris Johnson over Brexit.

Ms Rudd, who criticised Mr Johnson’s language during Wednesday’s ill-tempered debate in parliament, is reported to be ‘positioning herself’ as a unifying figure to unite the Commons should Mr Johnston lose a no confidence vote if one is proposed.

Ms Rudd who was Work and Pensions secretary until earlier this month surprised many observers when she resigned from the Cabinet and resigned the party whip almost three weeks ago.

Newspapers report a ‘source at No10’ as saying: “Keep an eye on Amber. It seems pretty obvious now that she’s going to throw her hat in the ring to be caretaker PM if they manage to get Boris.

“She has George Osborne’s backing for it.”

Mr Osborne, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer is now editor of the London Evening Standard and is considered to be an influential player.

…’positioning herself’ as a unifying figure to unite the Commons.

The number 10 source is quoted as saying: “I have thought for a while that’s Amber’s plan. It’s the only explanation I can think of why she would want to resign the whip as well as from the Cabinet.”

A quote attributed to a ‘senior minister’ says: “She has a tiny majority in Hastings and knows she won’t win her seat again, so probably wants to go out with a bang with No10 on her CV, albeit for a few months.”

On Wednesday Ms Rudd said the PM’s refusal to temper his language in the house of commons, despite pleas from female MPs who said they feared for their safety, was ‘wholly inappropriate’.

When she resigned from cabinet Ms Rudd said it was because, ’90 per cent’ of Government resources were going in to preparing for a No Deal Brexit and not trying to get a new withdrawal agreement and she was critical of the Prime Minister for removing the whip from nearly two dozen Conservative MPs.

Describing the decision as an ‘assault on decency and democracy’, she said she also quit because she had ‘not seen enough work going into actually getting a deal’.

Nick Perry, the Liberal Democrats prospective parliamentary candidate for Hastings says: “Amber has form in terms of poor political judgement and timing. If there is anything to this story, I would most likely put it down to that.”

Hastings In Focus has been in touch with Ms Rudd’s office asking for a comment on the speculation.