Half the British press reported his possible return on the front pages on Friday. Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street, after her resignation Liz Truss on Thursday. To what extent would such an unprecedented turn as prime minister have been possible without a general election, only through an internal party process?

Estimates on the big island are given and taken. The truth is that anything is possible given the former prime minister’s clear intention to return to what he called “the best job in the world” when he retired. it’s not a secret that there are not only conservative figures, but also important business interests who want … to fix Mr. Brexit.

However, it exists and the possibility of a Tory split if Mr Johnson is re-elected party leadermoreover, a part of it, the most moderate, goes “on the contrary”, i.e., to the Labor Party.

When Boris Johnson stepped down as British Prime Minister last month, he stood outside 10 Downing Street and assessed his accomplishments. This is normal for departing British leaders, but in a highly unusual move, he also hinted at a possible return, even citing the Roman politician Kiginata, who left power only to be recalled to office when his people ran into trouble.

London Times political editor Stephen Swynford said on Thursday that Mr Johnson is expected to seek the Conservative leadership again, a prospect his supporters welcome.

Nadine Dorries, a cabinet minister in Johnson’s government and one of his staunchest supporters, said that unless the party clears the way for his return, it will have to call a general election.

“A person elected by the British public on the basis of a manifesto and mandate until 25 January,” he tweeted. “If Liz Truss is no longer prime minister, there can be no coronation of candidates who have failed in the past.” Members of Parliament “should demand the return” of Johnson, he said.

Mr Johnson won an overwhelming majority in 2019, giving his government a more direct electoral mandate than Ms Truss or any other leader the party might choose to succeed him. At the same time, voters left the party in power to implement Johnson’s manifesto. Some of Mrs Truss’s opponents in Parliament said she had begun to pursue policies that deviated from that electoral platform.

But there’s a problem: Mr Johnson’s tenure has been marred by a series of scandals, including being fined for attending Downing Street … a coronation party that violated his government’s own Covid laws.

The party lost by-elections in Johnson’s last months in office, and in his final week in office, several cabinet ministers resigned, citing failures in his leadership. As the Conservative MPs determine their next leader, most commentators say their willingness to hand over 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 Mordant, both of whom scored high in the summer elections, are seen as more likely successors. Bookmakers now estimate Johnson’s chances of returning to power at around 5%..

Split personality

Despite his electoral success, many voters view Johnson as a divisive figure. In addition, a powerful parliamentary committee is investigating whether he misled MPs about quarantined parties. There is also uncertainty about whether his return to power in the financial markets, which have recently stabilized, will be welcomed.

Politico magazine notes on Friday that the Stop Boris campaign in England it has already begun and has the prospect of becoming such a big movement that it will rule out any possibility of the return of the former prime minister to the leadership of the party and government.

Inside the party, the backlash against even his candidacy is fierce: Politico quotes an MP who was his staunch supporter as now saying that “the party will fall apart under Boris. The deputies are already saying that they will resign or change their group of deputies.”

“I will stop Boris at any cost,” added another deputy. “If he wins, it means the end of the Conservative Party.” A third said they were determined to vote against Johnson anyway and could leave the party permanently if he won.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard made this clear Thursday night, warning that Johnson’s return would lead to a new “psychodrama” for the nation and telling Times Radio: “Boris had a chance to run the country and he’s leaving.”

However, according to a Sky News report on Friday morning, Mr. Johnson has already secured the support of 38 MPs, is second in the process to Rishi Sunak, and will have the required 100 MPs by Monday. that they would nominate him for the Conservative leadership so that he could run as a regular candidate.

Source: The New York Times, Politico, BBC, Sky News, The Times.