LONDON, (Reuters) – Boris Johnson has been gaining momentum in his audacious bid to return as British prime minister, with his colleagues deeply divided over the potential comeback and some warning he would plunge the country into fresh chaos.
Former defence minister Penny Mordaunt became the first candidate to officially declare an intention to run to be the next leader of the Conservative party, but Johnson and Rishi Sunak, once his finance minister, led potential contenders as candidates canvassed support ahead of voting next week.
With the Conservatives holding a large majority in parliament and able to ignore calls for a general election for another two years, the new party leader will become prime minister – Britain’s fifth in six years.
Those seeking to replace Liz Truss, who quit on Thursday after six chaotic weeks, must secure 100 nominations from Conservative lawmakers by Monday. Truss herself succeeded Johnson after he was ousted by his colleagues in July.
The party hopes the contest will revive its ailing fortunes. Opinion polls suggest the Conservatives would be all but wiped out if a national election were held now.
Johnson has not formally announced he will run but five cabinet ministers threw their weight behind him, while media reports suggested Sunak became the first leadership candidate to hit the threshold to enter the contest before Monday’s deadline.
A Reuters tally of Conservative lawmakers who have made public declarations of support put Sunak on 70 backers, Johnson on 37 and Mordaunt on 20.
A return to the top would be an extraordinary comeback for Johnson, who remains popular with party members – although a YouGov poll of 3,429 adults conducted yesterday found 52% of Britons would be unhappy to see him return as prime minister.
Conservative lawmaker James Duddridge said Johnson told him he is “up for it” and the former leader will fly back to Britain today from a holiday in the Caribbean.
But some queried whether Johnson, who left office comparing himself to a Roman dictator twice brought into power to fight crises, could clinch 100 nominations. His three-year premiership was blighted by scandals and allegations of misconduct.
The former Conservative leader William Hague said Johnson’s return was possibly the worst idea he had heard in almost half a century as a party member. He said it would lead to a “death spiral” for the Conservatives.
Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs analyst who became finance minister just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and was runner-up to Truss in the last leadership contest, is the bookmakers’ favourite, followed by Johnson. Mordaunt is again placed third.
The winner will be announced next week. If there is only one candidate with over 100 nominations from lawmakers by Monday that person will be announced as the winner; if three candidates reach the threshold, a vote by lawmakers on Monday will eliminate one candidate, with party members then choosing between the remaining two and the winner announced on Friday.
