With Liz Truss announcing her resignation on Thursday (October 20), making her Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, another leadership election will be concluded by October 28 to find her replacement. Multiple reports have suggested that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign from the post on September 6 after facing a series of scandals, is considering another leadership bid for the top job. Johnson, who was on holiday in the Caribbean when Truss resigned, believes it’s a matter of “national interest”, The Times reported. Boris Johnson’s tumultuous tenure as PM Johnson’s three years in power began with his appointment as prime minister in July 2019, after then PM Theresa May resigned from the post. The face of the Brexit vote, Johnson won a decisive victory in the snap elections in December of that year, leading the Conservative Party to its largest vote share in decades. His strong start soon gave way to controversy, as his administration was rocked by a series of scandals. Chief among them was the ‘partygate scandal,’ which involved a number of boozy parties taking place in the PM’s No. 10, Downing Street residence-cum-office, and in other government offices when the country was under a harsh lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. He continues to face a parliamentary probe into whether he misled lawmakers over the lockdown parties. After surviving a no-confidence vote in June 2022, his government was hit by a flurry of ministerial resignations, forcing Johnson to announce his exit on July 7. An ambiguous departure While leaving office, Johnson did give hints of a possible return. During his final ‘Prime Minister’s Questions’ session in the House of Commons on July 20, a characteristically upbeat Johnson thanked all those present in Parliament. He then signed off with a nod to the Hollywood film Terminator 2, declaring “hasta la vista, baby” and stating "Mission largely accomplished, for now," before walking out amid thunderous applause from Conservative MPs, many of whom had earlier called for his resignation. During his final speech outside Downing Street in September, Johnson once again gave a veiled indication of a second coming. “Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough,” he said, likening his exit to that of the 5th Century BCE Roman statesman. Cincinnatus, who was living in retirement as a farmer, was called back to his post by the Roman Senate in order to fight off an attack by an invading force. Johnson’s reference led many commentators to suggest that Johnson may have been hinting at another possible run for the Prime Minister post, the way Cincinnatus returned to power. Can Boris really return? While Johnson has not announced his candidacy yet, as a Conservative MP he remains eligible for the post. There are no rules barring him from fighting for elections so soon after his exit, nor are there limits to the amount of time that someone can be a prime minister in the UK. Some of his supporters in the Conservative Party have already begun backing him. Party rules for the leadership contest require the support of at least 100 MPs by Monday (October 24) to stay in the race, Sky News reported. Nadine Dorries, the former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as part of Johnson's government, told the news organisation that she was confident he will meet the threshold. “One person was elected by the British public with a manifesto and a mandate until January '25,” Dorries tweeted in Johnson’s support on October 20. Johnson also remains popular among the Tory grassroots and a YouGov survey of Conservative Party members from earlier this week found that 32 per cent chose Johnson as their favoured candidate, ahead of Rishi Sunak who had 23 per cent of the support, The Guardian reported. Challenges to a Boris Johnson return While Johnson currently has the popular support of the rank-and-file, he remains a divisive figure, especially among the Tory MPs who had only recently called for his removal. He also faces a parliamentary inquiry for allegedly misleading legislators over the ‘partygate’ scandal, which opposition parties could use to target the Conservative Party if he becomes their leader. Many Tories have already expressed concerns over his possible victory. Some senior leaders said they would consider stepping down from their posts and triggering a by-election if Johnson would win, BBC reported. In an interview, former cabinet minister David Davis told Johnson “Go back to the beach,” while other Conservatives have described him as “electorally toxic”, “dangerous for democracy” and “Labour’s secret weapon”, The Guardian reported. He will also have to battle out the leadership race with other hopeful Tory leaders, like former health and foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, House of Commons Leader Jenny Mordaunt and former finance minister Rishi Sunak, all of whom have begun receiving public support from their Conservative MP colleagues.
