After Truss resigns: Johnson wants to be prime minister again, Tories in poll debacle Will Meloni be tasked with forming a government today?

Will Johnson be Prime Minister again? After the resignation of British Prime Minister Liz Truss, a heated discussion ensues about her successor. Within the party a dispute arises about a possible candidacy of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

According to the Times, Johnson believes that running again is in the “national interest.” According to reports, he even canceled his vacation in the Caribbean prematurely. Johnson resigned as prime minister six weeks ago after several scandals and under intense pressure from his group.

But despite the “Partygate” affair and many other scandals in early July, the former prime minister still has a loyal following and has recently been doing well in party polls.

British Economy Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, among other things, spoke in favor of Boris Johnson returning to the position of prime minister on Friday. “I support Boris” (“I support Boris”) tweeted the Brexit hardliner, who is considered eccentric. He also provided his tweet with the hashtag #BORISorBUST (in German: Boris or to break).

And ex-culture minister Nadine Dorries, a close confidant of Johnson, is calling for his return. She called the former prime minister a winner. A cabinet member also told Sky News that Johnson could get the 100 Tory MPs it takes to run.

However, other Tory MPs such as Crispin Blunt warn of Johnson’s comeback. The 58-year-old is not the type to restore the party’s image, he told Sky News on Friday. MP Roger Gale even announced that he would leave the party if Johnson returned to Downing Street. According to the “Politico” portal, a number of other Conservative MPs threaten to withhold allegiance to the prime minister or even leave the party in the event of a Johnson 2.0 era. “I will stop Boris by any means necessary,” said one MP who declined to be named in the report. “If he wins, it means the end of the Conservative Party.”

Also on Twitter there is a lot of discussion about a possible comeback of Johnson: “It is obvious, but it has to be said – Boris Johnson is not returning because he wants to save the economy or improve our lives. He’s coming back because he wants to restore his badly wounded ego,” writes one user. “If the answer is Boris Johnson, you don’t understand the question,” wrote another.

But the former prime minister also received encouragement: “I want a leader and Boris Johnson is that leader,” reads a tweet about Johnson’s renewed candidacy.

Candidates will need the support of at least 100 MPs to join the race to succeed Truss. Nominations can be received until Monday afternoon. If more than two candidates pass this hurdle, voting in the group must be excluded. If there are two finalists after that, the party base can vote in an online ballot during the week. The decision could also be made earlier if one of the two finalists voluntarily withdraws. A new head of government must be elected by next Friday at the latest.

Currently favorites to succeed Truss are former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Penny Mordaunt, as well as Home Secretary Suella Braverman from the right-wing Conservative camp, who resigned on Wednesday. Truss, who had only been in office since September 6, announced her resignation on Thursday. The triggers were market turbulence as a result of their radical economic program, which had also come under sharp criticism within their own ranks.

British Tories slump in polls

Following the resignation of British Prime Minister Liz Truss, the conservative Tory party has again lost much of its support in polls.

In a survey conducted Thursday by the PeoplePolling market research institute for GB News broadcaster, 53 percent of respondents said they would support the opposition Labor party vote in new elections. Despite the political turbulence in the British government in recent months, only 14 percent still wanted to vote for the Tories. The Liberal Democrats came in at 11 percent in the poll.

Following the collapse of the Conservative government, British opposition parties are calling for immediate new elections. However, the government has to declare this, so an early election is considered rather unlikely. This should happen by early 2025 at the latest, but elections are expected in 2024.

(lst/sda/dpa)