Tories argue over Johnson’s comeback

Although the infamous ex-Prime Minister himself did not say a word into the camera, a not to be underestimated “bring back Boris” camp has already developed in his party in Westminster on Friday. They oppose terrified opponents of this idea, for whom, according to reports, a comeback of the scandalous politician would mean the ‘end of the conservative party’.

Johnson’s successor, Truss, announced her resignation on Thursday after six unprecedentedly chaotic weeks in office, becoming Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister ever. Lacking solid counter-funding, their radical tax-cutting program had thrown the financial markets into chaos. When her cabinet collapsed and tumultuous scenes unfolded during a vote in the House of Commons, her fate was sealed.

Less than two months after Truss’ choice, the ruling Tories are once again faced with the question: Who’s going to lead us now? Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Penny Mordaunt are considered promising candidates – although none of the Tories officially announced a candidacy on Friday.

The hurdles to a successful candidacy are high: candidates need the support of at least 100 MPs to participate in the race. 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.

The opposition is clamoring for immediate new elections – but the ruling Tory party has the upper hand and can set the date for the next election relatively freely – by early 2025 at the latest. If you believe current polls, the Tories are threatened with a devastating result in new elections. elections. Just 14 percent of Britons still wanted to vote for the Tories, nearly 40 percentage points behind Labour, in a poll conducted Thursday by the market research institute PeoplePolling.

His supporters see Boris Johnson as the only chance to turn the tide and free the party from its catastrophic situation. He is reported to be interested in running for office and ended his vacation in the Caribbean early. A gifted campaigner, the ex-prime minister won his party an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives in 2019. With his buddy-esque demeanor and a slap on the thigh at every corner, Johnson also managed to win over regions and classes that weren’t traditional Tory voters. However, it is controversial whether this scam still works after all its scandals and mistakes.

Economy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, the first cabinet member to advocate for Johnson’s return, accompanied his supporter tweet with the hashtag #BORISorBUST (in English: Boris of bust). Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who was not running for office on Friday, also backs Johnson.

At the same time, Operation Stop Boris is running at full speed. Tory MP Crispin Blunt told Sky News Johnson was not the type to fix the party’s image. His party colleague Roger Gale announced that he would resign 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.”

Anyone who stands behind Johnson is taking a huge risk: As Parliament is still under investigation to clarify whether Johnson lied to Parliament in connection with the ‘Partygate’ affair over banned lockdown celebrations in Downing Street, what a knockout would be in government office. It can take weeks or even months for the investigation to be completed. Labor MP Rachel Reeves warned government offices in Downing Street are not “short-stay Airbnbs where you can spend a few months doing a lot of damage before moving on to the next”.

(SDA)