In Great Britain, the domestic political crisis hits another low point. Now it seems that Boris Johnson of all people wants to fix it. According to media reports, he is considering returning as prime minister and is already rallying his supporters. Apparently he thinks he can turn the Tories inside out.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering a return to Downing Street, according to media reports. As the newspapers “Times” and “Telegraph” write unanimously, Johnson is already playing through ideas after the resignation of his successor Liz Truss in order to succeed her again. Tory politician Truss announced her resignation on Thursday due to great domestic pressure, further exacerbating the domestic political crisis in the United Kingdom.
For Johnson, who only announced his resignation at the beginning of July after various affairs, this could now be the chance for a comeback. The 58-year-old had made it clear when he resigned that he was not retiring of his own free will.
As The Times reports, the former Prime Minister has already asked allies, donors and the team that helped him win the 2019 general election to lead his campaign for a return to Downing Street. As of Thursday evening, Johnson already had 20 supporters. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Secretary of Commerce, is to help him run his campaign. Sky News quoted a cabinet member as saying that Johnson was able to get the 100 Tory MPs needed to run.
Johnson, who is expected to return shortly from his vacation in the Caribbean, will wait to see if he gets enough nominations before officially announcing his candidacy, according to the report.
According to The Times, Johnson told friends that he believes he can turn the Tories inside out and, given his victory in the 2019 general election, is the only candidate with a mandate for leadership. Johnson appears to believe he can win a vote by party members.
In fact, he is extremely popular with the party base. A poll a few days ago showed a majority for Johnson among party members. Former culture minister Nadine Dorries, a confidant of Johnson, called the former prime minister a winner. A Johnson return is highly traded at betting provider Ladbrokes. On the other hand, Tory MPs are also warning of the ex-prime minister, who is viewed extremely critically by the electorate. Many thought he was a liar.
Johnson’s return to the political arena could further split the notoriously fractious Conservative Party. As the Times reports, at least three lawmakers are willing to leave the party to no longer serve under him.
However, the newspaper also quotes a source as saying that while Johnson is preparing to run for party leadership, his instinct is that it is too soon to make a comeback. Some allies also urged him not to throw his hat in the ring. “Now is not the right time for Boris,” said one. “By June next year they will be desperate”.
Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, who were defeated by Truss in the previous competition for the top job, are also considered candidates to succeed Truss. One possibility would also be that they lead a kind of tripartite alliance with the incumbent Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, who also ran for office in the summer but is now said to have ruled out an application for Downing Street. In this scenario, Sunak would become the new Prime Minister and Mordaunt would move to the State Department. Hunt would remain Secretary of the Treasury.
However, such a solution would be a red rag for the right-wing conservative part of the Conservative Party. This wing has recently gained more and more weight and finally heaved Truss into Downing Street. It is therefore not excluded that this site will put up its own candidate. A possible candidate is Suella Braverman, who was forced out of office by Truss on Wednesday as Home Secretary. The hardliner had been shocked in the past few days that Truss threw her economic course overboard after criticism and also caused a stir with right-wing populist statements on migration policy.
A new head of government should be elected by Friday next week at the latest. To run, candidates need the backing of at least 100 MPs. Nominations can be received until Monday afternoon. If more than two candidates pass this hurdle, votes should take place between them in the parliamentary group. If there are two finalists, the party base can decide between them in an online vote during the week.
The opposition parties are calling for new elections. Actually, the next regular parliamentary election is scheduled for 2024, the latest date is January 2025. But in view of the weeks of turbulence and the fact that less than 0.3 percent of all eligible voters are again expected to decide on the most important political office, the political pressure is now on enormous. But the Conservatives have good reasons to avoid a new election at all costs: Current polls predict a clear victory for the opposition Labor party.
