If you thought politics in the United States was a crazy game, consider what’s happening in the United Kingdom. Only six weeks after being forced to resign due to myriad scandals surrounding the flouting of Covid-19 restrictions in his government, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be one of the leading candidates to take the job.
Johnson announced his resignation in July. The former prime minister had lost the support of the Conservative (Tory) Party largely over the “Party Gate” scandal, where it was shown that Johnson, his wife, and several colleagues had participated in at least a dozen gatherings in contravention of his own government’s national lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader … and therefore a new prime minister,” Johnson said at the time.
In early September, Liz Truss was named the new prime minister after a protracted leadership competition. Truss never really got off the ground, however, facing struggles from day one of taking the job. Her signature legislation — the much maligned “mini-budget” — was universally bashed, causing her to quickly lose support of the fractured Tories.
Truss would go on to resign just 44 days into the job, opening a door for Johnson’s return. While giving up the party leadership, Johnson remained on as a voting member of Parliament.
Now, despite his recent history of scandal, Johnson is thought by many to be the odds-on favorite to take the position.
Currently, only Rishi Sunak, Johnson’s former finance minister, has breached the threshold of 100 public supporters needed to gain consideration for the job. A third candidate, Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, is also positioning herself to be considered for the position.
Still, Johnson is not without support. U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who was thought to be interested in the position but who has withdrawn his name from consideration, hinted that he is “leaning towards” Johnson because he considers the former prime minister the person most likely to deliver a Tory victory in the next election.
Cabinet minister Simon Clarke also supported Johnson, saying that the comeback will be “greater than the setback.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, another Cabinet member, also touted Johnson as the best choice. “Boris is the best answer but the party must rediscover loyalty regardless.”
Another lawmaker, Paul Bristow, predicted that Johnson “can turn it around again … Boris Johnson can win the next general election.”
One member of Parliament who’s not quite sure about Johnson’s return is his own father. Stanley Johnson is a former member of the European Parliament who holds a vote in the leadership elections.
“I’m going to listen to what the candidates have to say,” the elder Johnson told Good Morning Britain.
Stanley did acknowledge, however, that he will probably end up supporting his son.
“I will listen to all of them and I will say, ‘OK, I think I’m going to support Boris’ — I’m pretty sure I’m going to support Boris … but I want to be sure,” he said.
Others believe that the prospect of a Johnson return, less than two months removed from his departure in shame, is not such a good idea.
“Have you all forgotten why Boris Johnson had to go? He locked us in our homes and bankrupted the economy while he and his staff partied away in No10 because they thought laws didn’t apply to them,” pointed out journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer.
The Financial Times called the idea of a comeback “farcical.”
Johnson will always be the politician who finally delivered Brexit to the U.K. He should be happy with that, accept his place in history, and move on. A quick return to power after an exit shrouded in shame seems a little bit kooky, to say the least.
