When Boris Johnson resigned as Britain’s prime minister last month, he stood outside 10 Downing Street and reeled off a list of his achievements. That’s normal for departing British leaders, but in a highly unusual move, he also hinted at a possible return.
The prime minister did so in typical fashion for a man who loves the classics, referencing the Roman statesman Cincinnatus, who left power only to be called back to office when his people were in trouble.
In the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation as prime minister on Thursday, and with the Conservative Party in electoral trouble, the question has become more concrete: Far sooner than anybody had expected, could Mr. Johnson be back?
Mr. Johnson is expected to seek the leadership of the Conservatives again, a prospect that was welcomed by his supporters. Nadine Dorries, a government minister in Mr. Johnson’s administration and one of his most loyal supporters, said that if the party did not pave the way for his return, it should call a general election.
“One person was elected by the British public with a manifesto and a mandate until January ’25,” she said on Twitter. “If Liz Truss is no longer PM there can be no coronation of previously failed candidates.” Members of Parliament, she said, “must demand return of” Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson won a hefty majority in 2019, giving his government a mandate from voters more direct than that enjoyed by Ms. Truss, or by any other leader the party could choose as her successor. At the same time, voters returned the party to power to implement a manifesto he led. Some of Ms. Truss’s opponents in Parliament said she had started to pursue policies that departed from that election manifesto.
But there is a problem: Mr. Johnson’s tenure was punctuated by a series of scandals, including a fine he received for attending a coronavirus lockdown party in Downing Street that broke Covid laws that his own government had implemented.
The party lost successive by-elections in Mr. Johnson’s final months in power and, in his final week, scores of government ministers resigned, citing failures of his leadership. Given that conservative lawmakers are the ones who will decide on their next leader, most commentators say that their appetite to give the keys to Downing Street back to Mr. Johnson is likely to be limited.
As a result, other candidates such as Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, both of whom scored highly with conservative members of Parliament, are viewed as more likely successors.
Political comebacks are rare in British politics, but not unheard-of. In the postwar period, Winston Churchill, whom Mr. Johnson has published a book about, staged a return as prime minister, as did Harold Wilson in the 1970s.
Boris Johnson is expected to attempt an extraordinary political comeback in the race to replace Liz Truss, a little over six weeks after the scandal-battered MP was forced out.
The former prime minister’s resurrection to frontline politics would be beset with problems, not limited to the ongoing inquiry into whether he lied to the Commons over partygate.
But his allies in Parliament are urging him to run, with the Conservatives desperately trying to avoid a general election amid dismal poll ratings.
Mr Johnson was holidaying in the Caribbean while Ms Truss was resigning, but The Times was told he believes it is a matter of “national interest” for him to stand again.
Party rules for the race mean Mr Johnson would need the backing of at least 100 Tory MPs by Monday afternoon to face off against any other successful challenger in a vote of the membership.
Multiple Tory MPs were quick to express their support for Mr Johnson, including Government minister Sir James Duddridge, who served as one of his parliamentary private secretaries.
Others, privately, are raising their concerns, arguing it is “not the right thing for him.
For all his vaunted electoral appeal, many voters see Mr. Johnson as a divisive figure. In addition, he is being investigated by a powerful parliamentary committee over whether he misled lawmakers about lockdown parties. There is also uncertainty about whether his return to power would be welcomed by financial markets that have stabilized recently.
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