Boris Johnson will enter the race to replace Liz Truss as British prime minister, according to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
Mr Heaton-Harris says the former leader has enough support from Conservative Party politicians to pass the crucial 100-vote threshold.
Asked if Mr Johnson would run, Mr Heaton-Harris said: "Yes, I think so."
"We do have the numbers … that's not an issue," he told Sky News UK on Sunday.
Ms Truss resigned last week after a chaotic 44 days in office, having taken over from Mr Johnson in September after becoming the Conservatives' fourth prime minister in just over six years.
Mr Heaton-Harris earlier took to Twitter to voice his support, saying that Mr Johnson needed to "finish the job he started in 2019" with his "proven track record".
Six UK ministers, including Mr Heaton-Harris, have reportedly thrown their support behind Mr Johnson's swift return as prime minister.
Trade Department Minister James Duddridge said Mr Johnson had told him he was "up for it".
Mr Johnson flew back to Britain from a Caribbean holiday on Saturday to consider an unlikely bid for a second term in the top job.
The 58-year-old has not commented publicly about a bid for his old job.
While he has received the public support of dozens of Conservative politicians, Mr Johnson needs 100 nominations to be considered.
But earlier reports had former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak as the front-runner, having secured the backing of 117 MPs.
Mr Sunak unsuccessfully bid to become prime minister when Ms Truss won the support of the Conservative Party before her ill-fated stint in Downing Street, making her the nation's shortest-serving prime minister.
Another contender, Penny Mordaunt, denied a report that she was pulling out of the race after striking a deal with Mr Johnson, calling it "completely false".
"I'm very confident about the progress we are making. I say to you that I'm in this to win it," 49-year-old Ms Mordaunt told the BBC.
Having previously been mayor of London for more than eight years, Mr Johnson was prime minister from July 2019 until September 2022, including delivering Brexit as the UK exited the European Union on February 1, 2020.
Wires/ABC
