Expert: Johnson’s comeback in 2023 may be Mass Christmas phenomenon in the US: “Porch Pirates”

A British expert thinks former Prime Minister Boris Johnson may return to political leadership next year. Rumors of a comeback should be treated with caution, said Mark Garnett of the University of Lancaster of the German news agency. But Johnson, who recently received high honors as a speaker, is still very popular with staunch conservatives.

“It doesn’t detract from Johnson’s earning potential that he is seen as a budding executive,” Garnett said. “If the Conservative Party does particularly badly in May’s local elections, the rumors will get louder – and the temptation may be too great for the impulsive politician Johnson to resist.”

At the same time, the political scientist and author pointed out that Johnson was generally extremely unpopular with voters. “The rationale for bringing him back so soon after his forced resignation rests almost entirely on his potential to win votes.” However, according to current polls, the 58-year-old is unlikely to save the Tories from a landslide defeat in parliamentary elections scheduled for 2024.

Johnson resigned in July following several scandals under enormous pressure from the party. After his successor Liz Truss had to step down after just a few weeks, Johnson tried to make a comeback. Although according to party information he had collected enough votes for another candidacy, he surprisingly gave up.

As a result, Rishi Sunak became the new party leader and then head of government as well. Pundit Garnett was convinced Johnson would have beaten the ex-Treasury Secretary in a head-to-head duel because of his greater popularity on the party base. (sda/dpa)