Conservative donors are reportedly asking if there is any way that Boris Johnson can remain as Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson resigned as Prime Minister last week following a number of high profile cabinet members resigning from their posts and urging him to quit.
The process to appoint a new leader has already begun, with nine candidates having currently declared their intention to stand.
But Conservative donors are reportedly looking for ways to keep Mr Johnson in the job.
A source has said: "Donors have been saying they have buyers’ remorse.
"There is a feeling that we have lost this extraordinary politician."
A Tory donor source also blamed Remainers for getting rid of the PM.
They also told the Mail on Sunday: "That Johnson has been got at by the blob, Remainers and BBC."
A spokesman for Mr Johnson insisted he would not be looking into ways to stand as a candidate in the race to decide the next Prime Minister.
The former mistress of the PM, Petronella Wyatt, tweeted to claim he would be resigning as Prime Minister next week in order to stand as a candidate.
But these claims have since been rubbished by sources close to the PM, and it would also go against Parliamentary rules.
Boris Johnson
Gareth Fuller
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, July 7, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
HENRY NICHOLLS