TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Thursday, Jun 01, 2023

Could Boris Johnson really make a comeback?

Could Boris Johnson really make a comeback?

Boris Johnson, the man ousted as UK prime minister by his own government just three months ago, has emerged as an early front-runner to be the next prime minister.

His replacement Liz Truss crashed and burned after 45 days in the job, announcing her resignation after being forced to ditch most of her policy programme after it spooked the financial markets.

A second Johnson premiership would be an extraordinary turnaround even for a politician who has made miraculous comebacks before.

The last time anyone returned to the office of prime minister after losing the leadership of their party was 140 years ago when William Gladstone returned to lead the Liberals, although some party leaders have had two stints as prime minister, including Sir Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.

The final months of Mr Johnson's time in office were dogged by accusations he had broken ministerial rules by not telling the truth about Covid lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.

He remains under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Committee, which could, in theory, lead to him being suspended from Parliament, or even being kicked out as an MP.
Mr Johnson has

yet to officially announce he will stand. The only contender to break cover so far is cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt who came third in the last leadership election.

Will Walden, a former press secretary to Mr Johnson, told Sky News Mr Johnson is "clearly taking soundings" on a leadership bid.

In his final appearance at Prime Minister's Questions in July this year, Mr Johnson signed off with "hasta la vista, baby".

He could only have dropped a heavier hint that he was not finished yet if he had used another catchphrase from the Terminator films: "I'll be back."

Mr Johnson won the 2019 general election - and under the British constitution the party in power can change leader without another election.

Ms Truss was elected by Conservative Party members, who may get the final say in this latest contest, if two contenders remain after MPs have voted.

One of his most loyal supporters, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has launched a social media campaign to get him back in Downing Street, and dozens of Conservative MPs have publicly backed him.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, seen as an influential force in the Conservative party, told the BBC he was "leaning towards" supporting Mr Johnson.

Party rules for the leadership contest mean hopefuls need the backing of at least 100 Tory MPs by Monday afternoon to stay in the race.

On the face of it, this is no small task for a man who had 148 of his colleagues vote against him in a confidence vote in June - followed by nearly 60 ministerial resignations one month later.

The deluge of resignations followed revelations that Mr Johnson had ignored accusations of sexual misconduct against Chris Pincher before appointing him deputy chief whip.

On 5 July, two senior cabinet secretaries resigned within minutes of each other - including then chancellor Rishi Sunak, who left claiming Mr Johnson was not competent or serious.

Mr Johnson held on for two more days before announcing he agreed to stand down.

But before the resignations pressure had been building on Mr Johnson for criticism over his handling of parties that took place in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.

Mr Johnson was one of 83 people fined by police for a string of illegal parties - including a birthday party for Mr Johnson.

Questions of integrity and personal conduct brought down Mr Johnson. Could MPs who found him unsupportable six weeks ago find him acceptable now?


Tory MP Sir Roger Gale has said he will resign the party whip if Mr Johnson is voted back in as prime minister.

Sir Roger, a frequent critic of Mr Johnson, suggested to Times Radio other colleagues were threatening to do the same.

Foreign Office Minister Jesse Norman, a former friend of Mr Johnson, said "choosing Boris now would be - and I say this advisedly - an absolutely catastrophic decision".


Four times Johnson has bounced back


*  In 1987, Boris Johnson was fired by The Times for falsifying a quote - but was hired the following year by The Daily Telegraph, as the paper's Brussels correspondent

*  In 2004, he was fired as the Conservatives' shadow arts minister for lying about an affair - but was back on the front bench a year later

*  In 2016, he pulled out of his first bid to be Conservative leader and prime minister after his close friend Michael Gove launched a rival bid - but he made a surprise comeback as foreign secretary under eventual winner Theresa May

*  In 2018, he quit Mrs May's cabinet in protest at her Brexit deal, only to return as leader of the party the following year, going on to win a huge majority at a general election

Opposition parties have also been quick to condemn suggestions Mr Johnson might make a comeback.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the former prime minister was "unfit for office". Scotland's Frist Minister Nicola Sturgeon called a Mr Johnson return a "ludicrous suggestion".

He was described as "Britain's Berlusconi" by the Liberal Democrats who are attempting to block Mr Johnson becoming prime minister through a motion in parliament.

Mr Johnson has kept a surprisingly low profile since leaving office. He has spoken sparingly in the House of Commons and spent the past few weeks doing a speaking tour of the US before heading on holiday.

But as Mr Johnson's biographer Andrew Gimson points out he is not the sort of person to "live a life of blameless obscurity".


Johnson 'has the edge'


If only a single candidate emerges the contest will be over on Monday - if not the new leader will be chosen by a vote from party membership on Friday 28 October.

Polls taken in the final days of Liz Truss' premiership have consistently shown Mr Johnson as the most popular successor.

Patrick English, Associate Director of polling company YouGov, said the Conservative party are calling out for "someone who can provide unity and pull the party back together and compete again (Labour leader) Keir Starmer.

"If you ask the members who that could be - it is Boris Johnson," Mr English said.

"If Mr Johnson goes to the final two, he's got the edge."


Johnson bids farewell at PMQs saying: "Hasta La Vista baby"


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
Close
0:00
0:00
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
Drone Attack on Moscow's Wealthiest Neighborhoods Suspected to be Launched by Ukraine
Elon Musk Meets Chinese Finance Minister in Beijing
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
If you donated to BLM, you got played
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
Actor Tom Hanks told Harvard University graduates to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain
The Sussexes' Royal Rebound: Could Harry and Meghan Markle Return to the UK?
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
France Arrests 10 on Suspicion of Failing to Respond in Time to Migrant Drowning
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
Is Saudi Arabia the holiest place in the world? Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions from "The Mount Sinai Stand" Discovered in Saudi Arabia
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Last Walmart in North Portland Closing Down
Florida's DeSantis seeks to disqualify judge in Disney case
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines calls the British monarchy "an absurdity" he wants to remove in his lifetime
King Charles III being crowned.
'Godfather Of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Quits Google To Warn Of The Tech's Dangers
A Real woman
Vermont Man Charged with Stalking After Secretly Tracking Woman with Apple AirTag
Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became
Ukraine More Prepared for Counterattack as Reinforcements Arrive
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Discuss Migration, Defence, and Ukraine
AT&T's Successful Test of Satellite-Based Phone Call Raises Possibility of Widespread Coverage
CNN: "Joe Biden is asking for four more years — when 74% of Americans think the country is heading the wrong way“
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Cuts Short Live TV Interview Due to Health Issue
US Congresswoman threaten Twitter Files journalist with arrest
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh slams New York Times' pro-government stance and treatment of sources
Enough is enough: it's time to end the war in Ukraine. While Russia may be to blame for starting it, Russia is not the one refusing to stop it
Fox News Settles their case with Dominion Voting Systems for a staggering $787.5 MILLION
AG decries scapegoating and rushed lawmaking by government
The land of the free violence
×