Shamed Boris Johnson is being tipped to make a sensational bid to return as the UK's Prime Minister - supposedly in the “national interest”.
The former premier has missed the collapse of his successor Liz Truss after just 44 days because he is on holiday in the Caribbean.
Now he is said to be preparing a bid to run for a return to Downing Street less than two months after he was ousted over a string of scandals, from Partygate to sleaze.
Read More: Liz Truss resigns as UK Prime Minister after chaotic week
The Daily Telegraph, who Mr Johnson once described as his “real boss” and where he worked as a columnist, has reported that he is expected to stand. The Times has reported the same.
A friend of Boris Johnson told the Mirror they did not know if he was planning to stand but added: "You know what he says about the ball coming loose in the scrum.
“I think it would be in character if he did."
Mr Johnson's former parliamentary private secretary James Duddridge tweeted: "I hope you enjoyed your holiday boss. Time to come back. Few issues at the office that need addressing. #bringbackboris."
But Tory MP Sir Robert Syms tweeted: "Boris is a fantasy.
"The number for nomination will be lifted to limit runners and there will be massive pressure on the 2nd candidate in MPs ballot to drop out!"
Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems Daisy Cooper said: “The fact that Conservative MPs are even considering putting Boris Johnson back in Number 10 shows how out of touch they really are. They think there’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.
“Boris Johnson was forced to resign in disgrace after countless lies, scandals and failures. He shattered public trust in the government and plunged the UK into a political crisis. He must never be allowed near Downing Street again.
“The future of our country should be in the hands of voters, not the Conservative MPs who have caused all this chaos.”
Mr Johnson missed a key vote on keeping Liz Truss in a job last night because he is on holiday in the Caribbean.
The chillaxing former Prime Minister has not turned up to vote in Parliament since July despite claiming a £84,144 backbench MP salary.
And he missed a vote over a row about fracking - which Tory whips declared a “confidence motion”, meaning the government’s survival hinges on it - due to being on a family holiday.
His pal and former No10 aide Andrew Gilligan told radio station LBC yesterday: “He’s on holiday at the moment he’s in the Caribbean.
“So I think he’s probably enjoying himself quite a lot.”
Tory whips told MPs the vote on fracking “is a confidence motion in the government”, adding: “This is a hard 3 line whip with all slips withdrawn.”
But it’s understood Mr Johnson was “paired” - which is different to being “slipped” - with a Labour MP who could not attend the vote, allowing him to skip it without losing the whip.
It is not known how long his trip has lasted - but Mr Johnson was said to be on a family holiday on the other side of the Atlantic eight days earlier.
He gave a speech at an insurance conference in Colorado Springs on October 11 which is said to have paid £135,000.
His wife Carrie also posted a photo of herself on social media on a paddle board in azure waters on October 6, without saying where she was.
A source close to Mr Johnson did not deny Mr Gilligan’s claim that he was in the Caribbean, nor that the trip had gone on for more than a week.
It is thought Mr Johnson paid for the trip himself, almost three years after an investigation into how his 2019 holiday to the Caribbean island of Mustique was funded.
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