Boris Johnson tipped for comeback after Liz Truss resigns

Former prime minister could seek return to office only weeks after leaving Downing Street

Boris Johnson became UK prime minister in July 2019, left, and resigned three years later in July 2022, right. Here 'The National' looks back at his colourful time as leader of the country. Getty Images / Reuters

Boris Johnson reads a statement outside 10 Downing Street, formally resigning as Conservative Party leader. PA

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson attend the National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2022. Getty Images

Boris Johnson addresses the media after surviving a confidence vote in his leadership, in June 2022. PA

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, announcing that Mr Johnson had survived a confidence vote in his leadership at the Houses of Parliament in June. PA

Mr Johnson chats with residents in a Diamond Jubilee-themed room as he makes a constituency visit to Sweetcroft care home in Uxbridge, in May 2022. Getty Images

Boris Johnson reads the findings of the Sue Gray report into gatherings on government premises while Covid-19 restrictions were in place, in his office in No 10, Downing Street in May 2022. Photo: Downing Street

An image of a gathering in the Cabinet Room in No 10, Downing Street in June 2020 on the prime minister's birthday was released alongside the Sue Gray report. Photo: Cabinet Office

Boris Johnson with a Mark 3 shoulder launch missile system at Thales weapons manufacturer during a visit to Northern Ireland for talks, in May 2022 in Belfast. Getty Images

Mr Johnson having a turban placed on his head at Gujarat Bio Technology University, during his two-day trip to India in April. Getty Images

Mr Johnson after apologising to MPs for the 'partygate' fine he had received, in the House of Commons in April. AFP

Mr Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walking in central Kyiv, in April. AFP

Mr Johnson arrives for a media interview at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, in March 2022. Getty Images

Mr Johnson speaks with officers as he makes a constituency visit to Uxbridge police station in December 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson observes an early morning Merseyside Police raid on a home in Liverpool as part of 'Operation Toxic' to infiltrate county lines drug dealings in December 2021. Getty Images

Boris Johnson during a visit to Westport Care Home in Stepney Green, ahead of unveiling his long-awaited plan to fix the social care system, in September 2021. Getty Images

Prince Charles looks on as Boris Johnson attempts to open his umbrella at the National Memorial Arboretum in Stafford, in July 2021. Getty Images

President of the European Council Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Mr Johnson and Italian PM Mario Draghi pose for the leaders' official photo during the G7 summit in Cornwall, in June 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses with his wife Carrie in the garden of No 10, Downing Street following their wedding at Westminster Cathedral, in May 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson visits Hartlepool after the Conservative Party candidate Jill Mortimer won the Hartlepool by-election in May 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson receives his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, in March 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson smiles during a televised press conference at No 10, Downing Street in February 2021, as he announces a phased exit from the country's lockdown measures. Getty Images

Mr Johnson gives a thumbs-up gesture after signing the Brexit trade deal with the EU in No 10, Downing Street, in December 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet for a dinner to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal, in December 2020 in Brussels. Getty Images

Mr Johnson with a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, at Wockhardt's pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, in November 2020, in Wrexham, Wales. Getty Images

Mr Johnson drills during his visit to Exeter College in September 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson holds crabs caught on the Carvela at Stromness Harbour in July 2020, during a visit to Scotland. Getty Images

Mr Johnson holds a painting of a ladybird during a visit to The Discovery School in West Malling, in July 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds applaud for key workers outside No 10, Downing Street, in May 2020. Getty Images

Boris Johnson appears on monitors for a meeting in London. The prime minister chaired the morning update meeting remotely as he was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19. Reuters

Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from inside No 10, Downing Street, with the latest instructions to stay at home to help contain the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020. AFP

Mr Johnson attends the launch of the UK-hosted COP26 Summit at the Science Museum in London, in February 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson is greeted by staff at No 10, Downing Street, after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to form a new government in December 2019. PA

Mr Johnson and his partner Carrie enter Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson drives a digger with the words 'Get Brexit Done' inside the digger bucket through a fake wall emblazoned with the word 'GRIDLOCK', during a general election campaign event in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson eats pie on the campaign bus in Derby, on the final day of campaigning before the general election in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson takes a turn in goal during the warm up before a girls' football match between Hazel Grove United JFC and Poynton Juniors in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses with workers as he is given a tour of Wilton Engineering Services as part of an election campaign trail stop in November 2019, in Middlesbrough. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses for a photo wearing boxing gloves during a stop on his general election campaign trail in Manchester, in November 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson eats a rock sweet which reads 'Back Boris' during a general election campaign trail stop in Blackpool, in November 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson leads a bull around a pen as he visits Darnford Farm near Aberdeen, Scotland, in September 2019. Getty Images

Former US president Donald Trump and Mr Johnson arrive for a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit in August 2019, in Biarritz, France. Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Mr Johnson as the newly elected leader of the Conservative party and invites him to become prime minister and form a new government, at Buckingham Palace in July 2019. Getty Images

Allies of Boris Johnson urged him to mount a stunning political comeback on Thursday after the dramatic resignation of UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Only 105 days after the mutiny that forced him out, Mr Johnson was said to be taking soundings about entering the looming Conservative leadership race.

Mr Johnson made little secret of his resentment at being forced out and speculation was rife, even before Ms Truss's implosion, that he longed for a comeback.

“He's a winner and the only MP with legitimacy having been overwhelmingly elected by the country,” said one Johnson loyalist, Michael Fabricant.

“He may not be the first choice of MPs — I may be wrong — but he most certainly is amongst the membership.”

Another MP, Stephen McPartland, said his inbox was “inundated with local people saying we must bring back Boris”.

But other Tory MPs were far from enthusiastic. Sir Robert Syms said Mr Johnson was “not a serious candidate”, while Justin Tomlinson said a comeback was “wishful thinking”.

“I just think it’s too soon. I was there supporting him to the very end but he did lose the confidence of the majority of our colleagues,” Mr Tomlinson told Sky News.

Boris Johnson through the years — in pictures

Known for his colourful rhetoric and attention-grabbing antics, Mr Johnson led the Conservatives to a landslide general election victory in 2019.

He counted among his achievements the end of the three-year Brexit stalemate, the vaccination programme against Covid-19 and a close alliance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But his premiership was dogged by scandals, most notably the Partygate affair, which saw him fined by police for breaking Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

The relentless distractions wore down the patience of MPs, the public and ultimately his own ministers, who forced him out by resigning en masse in July.

He announced his resignation after conceding that he no longer had the confidence of the Tory benches.

However, he remained popular with much of the party grassroots and hinted at a comeback in his farewell speech in Downing Street, a mere six weeks ago.

Ms Truss succeeded him on a platform of cutting taxes and boosting economic growth, but her plans backfired when the financial markets went into near-meltdown. '

With the Tories now in dire straits in the polls, Mr Johnson is seen in some quarters as the party's only hope of winning the next election.

He has largely stayed out of the public eye since leaving office, except when paying tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

A YouGov poll conducted this week showed that 32 per cent of Tory members would choose Mr Johnson to succeed Ms Truss.

Whether he can pull off a comeback is less clear. Many MPs are keen for a smooth succession to restore unity, and a Johnson return would be sure to produce division.

The rules for the leadership election have not yet been set, but rule-maker Sir Graham Brady may set a high threshold for MPs to enter the race.

Opposition MPs, who are calling for an early general election, were quick to say that Mr Johnson should not return.

Some Labour MPs pointed out that he still faces an investigation into whether he misled the House of Commons during the Partygate scandal.

“He shattered public trust in the government and plunged the UK into a political crisis. He must never be allowed near Downing Street again,” said Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper.

Although comebacks by former prime ministers were once fairly common, only two have returned to Downing Street since the Second World War.

Wartime leader Winston Churchill returned for a second spell in 1951, while Labour's Harold Wilson served two separate terms in the 1960s and 1970s.