Could Boris Johnson Really Ride To The Tories' Rescue By Making A Dramatic Return To Politics?

Could Boris Johnson make a comeback?Few political utterances have been as over-analysed as Boris Johnson’s final words as prime minister in the House of Commons.“Mission largely accomplished – for now,” the then Tory leader told MPs on the day he left Downing Street, before adding: “Hasta la vista, baby.”The literal translation of that Spanish phrase, which was made famous by Arnold Shwarzenegger in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, is “see you later”.What did Johnson mean, numerous political commentators have pondered. Was it a typically flamboyant farewell, or was he giving notice that he would one day return to No.10?The latter question seemed to be answered in the negative when, in 2023, he dramatically resigned as a Tory MP after the Commons privileges committee found him guilty of lying to parliament over the partygate scandal.However, he did hint at a future return to the green benches by saying: “It is very sad to be leaving parliament, at least for now...”With the Tories now fourth in the opinion polls, and Kemi Badenoch’sstruggles as Conservative leader continuing, rumours are once again swirling at Westminster that Johnson is eyeing a comeback so he can revive his party’s fortunes.The former PM did nothing to dampen such speculation by making a headline-grabbing intervention on Monday condemning Keir Starmer’s deal with the EU.Starmer was, Johnson opined, merely “the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”.His remarks were lapped up by the Tory-supporting press, who found less space to report on Badenoch’s own, more muted, reaction to the PM’s deal.Tim Montgomerie, the former Tory who defected to Reform UK last year, then set more hares running when he told Times Radio that Johnson was very much on manoeuvres.He said: “A big beast of the jungle, namely Boris Johnson, is definitely on the march. He’s always wanted to come back, but it’s in more advanced stages than most of us have realised up until now.”Johnson, his supporters believe, is the only man who can take on and defeat Nigel Farage’s Reform, thereby allowing the party to then turn its fire on Keir Starmer and Labour.HuffPost UK has been taking the temperature of senior Tory figures to gauge whether there is any appetite for Johnson’s return.One veteran MP said: “He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back.“Even his videos now look passe. Boris is the past not the future, whatever his lieutenants hope for or might want to spin.”Johnson supporters were buoyed by recent polling by the More in Common think-tank which suggested the Tories would be leading in the polls if Johnson was leader again.Speculation is also rife in Westminster that some Conservative MPs would even be willing to give up their seats to allow Johnson to run for parliament again.A friend of Johnson told HuffPost UK that the main stumbling block to his return is his fraught relationship with his former colleagues.“There’s obviously a Boris-shaped hole at the heart of British politics – we need someone with his energy, his passion and his true belief in the future of Britain,” the friend said.“If we had a presidential system in this country it would be much easier to see him coming back, but the only way back for him is via the Conservative Party, and it was a really bad relationship at the end.” He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back. It is easy to forget the circumstances in which Johnson found himself having to vacate No.10 less than three years after leading the Tories to an 80-seat Commons majority.Dogged by partygate, the final straw came with his handling of the scandal surrounding Chris Pincher, the former Tory deputy chief whip who was accused of sexual harassment.Dozens of Johnson’s own ministers resigned in protest, forcing him to fall on his sword.“They took him down and as that’s the only route back for him I don’t think there’s any prospect of him doing it,” said the Johnson ally. “It was a very bruising experience for him.”He added: “Could Boris come back? Yes, definitely. Plenty of Tory MPs would offer their seat to him if he let it be known he wants to come back, but if he thinks it through, he’d realise that it would mean having to lead the parliamentary party that took him out, and I’m not sure he has the appetite for that.”But another senior Tory was dismissive of the prospect of a Johnson return.“In a crowded field of irrelevant former MPs he has to be pretty much at the top,” she said. “The country has changed and moved on and anyone who thinks they have a safe seat these days needs to give themselves a shake.”Polling released by Ipsos this week contained good and bad news for Johnson.Johnson has the second-highest favourability rating of any UK politician, with 26%. He is only beaten by Nigel Farage, who is on 31%.However, more than half the public – 52% – have an unfavourable view of him, demonstrating just how divisive he remains with voters.Keiran Pedley, director of UK politics at Ipsos, told HuffPost UK: “While Boris Johnson still has his fans, there are signs he might not be the election-winning weapon he once was.“Also, in practical terms, any comeback would need him to deal with the legacy of partygate and immigration numbers under his watch. “That said, if the Conservative Party continues to struggle, you would not be surprised if some Tory MPs took a good look at him anyway.”It is hard to avoid the conclusion that if Boris Johnson really is the answer to the Tories’ problems, the party is in an even worse position than anyone possibly imagined.Related...Labour Minister's Response To Boris Johnson's Takedown Of New EU Deal Is Dripping In SarcasmBoris Johnson Criticised The UK-EU Deal And People Reacted Exactly As You’d ExpectIt's Finally Been Revealed Why Boris Johnson Made Charlotte Owen A Peer

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