Johnson's allies believe the former PM will be back

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Oct 2022 18:42
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After being somewhat "forced" to resign, the former UK Prime Minister's allies are betting on his return.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (PA images)

Members of Parliament who supported and, in some cases, worked on Boris Johnson's first candidacy in 2019 believe he will run in the leadership election that will follow Liz Truss' resignation, according to two people who worked on the 2019 campaign.

Multiple backers have argued that Johnson may be a "unifying candidate who brings stability to the country," despite the fact that he resigned only a few months ago after a series of scandals combined to make his position untenable.

When asked how they could explain Johnson competing for PM again, one MP who campaigned for Johnson in the 2019 leadership election told CNN, "Socialists will destroy our economy, and if you don't understand that, then I genuinely fear for our future."

Another Conservative MP who endorsed Johnson in 2019 said he was the only candidate who could easily win over both Conservative MPs and Conservative party members.

Johnson's closest allies said they were aware he was being intensively pressured in the hours following Truss' resignation speech, arguing that he represented the party's best opportunity for long-term stability.

Former PM Johnson flying back to Britain this weekend: Telegraph

It is worth noting that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is flying back to the UK this weekend, a journalist at the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Times newspaper had reported that Johnson, who is on holiday abroad, was expected to stand in the race to replace Liz Truss who resigned as Prime Minister earlier on Thursday.

Johnson stepped down from his post as the leader of the Conservative party, meaning that he was no longer able to lead the United Kingdom.

His resignation came after a three-year-long tenure that was distinguished by the number of scandals it saw, as well as crises, such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying Partygate scandals. He was constantly mired in controversies and that saw him revealed as untruthful to the public and even his allies.

The 58-year-old premier announced that he would step down after a tsunami of resignations from his government in protest of his leadership.