Boris Johnson wants to run to replace Liz Truss in No 10, friends say, in what would be the most sensational twist yet in the Conservative leadership drama.
The former prime minister – who still faces an inquiry into whether he lied to parliament in the Partygate scandal – wants to “finish the job” he started, a key ally said.
Mr Johnson is believed to be on holiday in the Caribbean, the reason why he missed the meltdown over the Commons vote on lifting the ban on fracking which triggered Ms Truss’s downfall.
The Times was told he is taking soundings from friends, believing he can rescue the Conservative party from its rock-bottom poll ratings and that his return is in “the national interest”.
And Brendan Clarke-Smith, a government minister and Johnson cheerleader, told Sky News he believed Mr Johnson will throw his hat into the ring again.
The Tories need someone who can “bring people together” and who – unlike any other candidate – has “that mandate form the last general election”, he argued.
“The only person I think who ticks all those boxes is Boris Johnson,” Mr Clarke-Smith said, adding: “He is the only person who can dig us out of this mess.
“He wants to be able to finish that job – so, yes I think he would be interested and that is why I am urging him now to put his name forward.”
more to follow
