By Simon Walters and Glen Owen Civil war erupted in the Tory Party last night after Boris Johnson accused George Osborne of lying about urging him to make a  Commons comeback. Supporters of the London Mayor claimed the Chancellor’s camp was engaging in a ‘dirty tricks plot’ to wreck his hopes of becoming Conservative leader – and boost Mr Osborne’s own ambitions for the job The simmering ‘Boris versus George’ leadership feud burst into the open over reports that Mr Osborne had ‘delivered personally’ a message to Mr Johnson that David Cameron wants him to stand as a parliamentary candidate at the next Election.
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London Mayor has been seen as frontrunner in Tory leadership stakes
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Johnson's supporters say Chancellor's camp engaged in 'dirty tricks plot'
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Move to ask Johnson to stand seen as ploy to tie his fortunes to Cameron
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He will then get equal blame if the Tories are thrown out at the election
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The aim was said to be to force  Mr @placeholder to prove his loyalty by ‘pinning his political fate to that of the Prime Minister’.
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Mr @placeholder has made no secret of his desire to return to the Commons, but the timing of his return is seen as a crucial factor in determining whether he can win the Tory crown.
George Osborne
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An ally of the Mayor said: ‘This is nothing to do with party loyalty and everything to do with @placeholder and Cameron trying to destabilise Boris.
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Mr @placeholder’s friends say he has yet to decide when he will return to the Commons.
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There is no doubt that the @placeholder charm offensive has already started.