Boris Johnson has set up a private company in his name - with the shamed former PM allowed to claim up to £115,000 a year in public funding.
Mr Johnson, who announced his resignation in July after a string of scandals, will not use the new firm for commercial business, a source close to him said.
The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd was incorporated with Companies House yesterday, as rumours of a potential comeback refuse to go away.
Paperwork shows the ex-Tory leader listed under his full name of Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson.
The backbencher is entitled to claim up to £115,000 a year to run his office under a scheme to support former Prime Ministers who remain active in public life.
The private limited company will solely function as a private office to support him as a formerPM, a source told the PA news agency.
The public funding is designed to cover office and secretarial costs arising from their special position - and does not apply to their private or parliamentary duties.
It is unclear how much of the public duty allowance Mr Johnson will claim, with costs being reimbursed after proof of expenditure is provided.
Listed as director is Shelley Williams-Walker, a longstanding ally who was head of operations at No 10 under Mr Johnson.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: "The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd will support Boris Johnson's private office in line with similar structures established by former prime ministers."
At the weekend one of Mr Johnson's closest alliies warned the Tories face “complete wipeout”.
Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told the BBC ’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “If there was a general election tomorrow that would probably mean complete wipeout for the Conservative Party."
It comes after reports Boris Johnson is being urged to abandon his 7,210 majority in north west London and move to Ms Dorries’ safe seat of Mid Bedfordshire.
She refused to rule out a surprise comeback for him as Prime Minister, saying: “The only message from Boris Johnson to anyone is to support Liz and to back Liz
“There is no process for that to happen and I think it would take a bizarre reversal of what normally happens.
“I think it's something Conservative MPs would have to really want.
“But at the moment, I can tell you it's not even something Boris Johnson is thinking about.”
Told she was not ruling it out she replied: “I have been in politics a long time, I don't rule anything out. But I would say it is highly, extremely unlikely."
