A Boris Johnson comeback as Prime Minister would cause a “wave of revulsion” across Scotland, the SNP’s Westminster leader has said.
The former prime minister is reported to be jetting back from the Caribbean to stand for the Tory leadership after Liz Truss quit. Johnson has not announced plans to stand, but is believed to have the backing of dozens of MPs, including Cabinet Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg.
He quit in disgrace earlier this year over the partygate scandal and criticism of his handling of sexual harassment allegations against an MP. Blackford attacked the ex-Tory leader, calling instead for a general election to be held.
“We’ve got a Conservative Government that is out of touch and, if I may say so, out of time,” he told BBC Radio Scotland on Friday.
“As we are discussing this this morning there’s real concern that the Tories might want to foist Boris Johnson back onto us again – I think there will be a wave of revulsion throughout Scotland.”
He added: “You really have to think that the Conservatives have learned nothing as to what we’ve gone through and the reason why Boris Johnson had to be swept from office.
“We can’t continue to see Parliament as a personal plaything of those on the Tory right that want to enact the policies that they’ve been doing.”
Blackford said it was in the national interest for the Tories to realise “that time is up” and call an election.
Johnson would require the support of 100 Tory MPs to become a candidate, a threshhold his supporters believe can be met.
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBC Scotland programme The Nine on Thursday it is “inconceivable” Tory MPs would put Johnson back in Downing Street.
“Boris Johnson is still under investigation by the Privileges Committee of the House of Commons,” he said.
“Frankly, I think it’s inconceivable that Conservative MPs would want to put them back in the situation where – whether or not what Boris Johnson said in defending partygate was or was not the truth – they want to go back and revisit that psycho-drama.
“It’s also perfectly clear from the reaction of some Conservative MPs tonight that the prospect of Boris Johnson standing is that probably of those three candidates (including Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt) he is the one who has least chance of uniting the party.”
Meanwhile, Scotland Office minister Lord Offord told the same programme that having three premiers in three months was not an “ideal situation”.
But he said the UK Government has a mandate from the 2019 general election, and there should not be another vote.
When asked about the possibility of Boris Johnson returning, Lord Offord said it was not about “the personality of any individual”, but ensuring that a prime minister would “stand up and deliver the mandate they were given in 2019”.
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