Scandal-scarred former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was racing dwelling from trip Friday — as he grew to become the sudden odds-on favourite to return as chief simply weeks after quitting in shame.
“He’s on a aircraft, as I perceive it,” Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, instructed “Good Morning Britain” Friday.
“He's coming again,” the 82-year-old dad confirmed of rumors that his son was racing dwelling from his sunshine trip within the Dominican Republic amid the sudden management battle.
Johnson, 58, had solely left his workplace at 10 Downing Road final month, having been pressured to announce his resignation in July after a sequence of scandals, most notably getting fined by cops for defying his personal strict COVID lockdown guidelines to throw a sequence of events.
However he all the time teased a return to energy, signing off his farewell speech to Parliament with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s well-known “Terminator” line: “Hasta la vista, child.”
He additionally in contrast himself to Cincinnatus, the Roman dictator who relinquished energy — then returned as chief.
Insiders and bookmakers now consider his sign-off may come true prior to ever anticipated after his successor, Liz Truss, stop on Thursday after simply 44 days in workplace, the shortest in UK historical past.
“BIG NEWS creating … Boris Johnson is now the odds-on FAVORITE to turn out to be the subsequent Prime Minister,” on-line bookmakers Betfair tweeted at lunchtime Friday.
Ladbrokes had him nearly neck-and-neck with the opposite principal contender, Johnson’s former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who got here in second to Truss within the final contest.
Regardless of his scandalous exit, Johnson began receiving a flood of help from UK politicians — together with Ben Wallace, one of many cupboard ministers first tipped as a probable co-contender.
Formally withdrawing his title as a possible candidate, the protection minister instructed the Impartial that he was “leaning in direction of” Johnson as a result of he felt he was the only option to “win the subsequent election” for the Conservatives.
One other cupboard minister, Simon Clarke, additionally supported Johnson’s return, saying that his comeback will probably be “higher than the setback.” Enterprise minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted his help, utilizing the hashtag “#Borisorbust.”
Conservative lawmaker Paul Bristow instructed LBC radio that celebration members know BoJo “can flip it round once more … Boris Johnson can win the subsequent basic election.”
Johnson’s dad — a Conservative Social gathering member with a vote within the management choice — was not so agency, nevertheless.
“I’m going to take heed to what the candidates should say,” Stanley Johnson instructed “Good Morning Britain.”
“I'll take heed to all of them and I'll say, ‘OK, I feel I’m going to help Boris’ — I’m fairly positive I’m going to help Boris … however I need to be certain,” he stated.
He insisted it was “completely affordable” for his son to need to return to energy and cope with the “unfinished enterprise” of his 2019 manifesto.
Many others disagreed, with the Monetary Instances saying a comeback could be “farcical.”
“If the reply is Boris Johnson, you haven’t understood the query,” former Dwelling Secretary Ken Clarke tweeted.
Presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer requested if these supporting Johnson had “misplaced your minds.”
“Have you ever all forgotten why Boris Johnson needed to go? He locked us in our houses and bankrupted the economic system whereas he and his workers partied away in No10 as a result of they thought legal guidelines didn’t apply to them.
“Shameless and shameful. He mustn't ever be PM once more,” she insisted.
Opposition MP Lilian Greenwood additionally confused that in addition to Partygate, “Johnson was pressured to resign after turning a blind eye to allegations of sexual assault, selling an alleged sexual predator to a place of energy and duty after which mendacity about it.
“How can any Tory MP counsel placing him again in Quantity 10?”
Actor Stephen Fry, in the meantime, subtly tweeted: “No @BorisJohnson no no no no no NO! Underneath completely no circumstances. Ever. Ever ever ever, d’you hear?”
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