LONDON: Former prime minister Boris Johnson returned to Britain on Saturday from a Caribbean holiday aiming to launch an audacious political comeback, as Conservative rival Rishi Sunak reached the minimum threshold to contest the UK’s top job.

Johnson cut short a luxury stay in the Dominican Republic to join the seemingly three-person race to replace outgoing leader Liz Truss, with allies telling British media he was “up for it”.

Cabinet member Penny Mordaunt, who just missed out on making the final runoff after Johnson quit, was the first to formally unveil her candidacy, on Friday.

The 49-year-old said she was running for “a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest” but is already trailing her rivals by dozens of nominations.

The accelerated contest will see the Conservatives’ 357 MPs hold a vote Monday on any candidates with the 100 nominations, before a possible online ballot of party members later in the week if two remain.

The Sunak and Johnson camps are reportedly seeking talks to see if there is scope for a unity deal — although there is plenty of bad blood since the former prime minister’s defenestration. Sunak’s July resignation helped trigger the government mutiny that ultimately led to Johnson’s ousting.

Tory MP James Duddridge, a key Johnson ally who confirmed Friday the ex-leader was intent on standing, said that he had now secured the support of 100 colleagues.

His apparent bid to return to office just weeks later has already been dec­ried by opposition politicians, and even some in his own fractured ruling party who are demanding stability and unity.

Later on Friday, Sunak’s allies in parliament revealed he had garnered the nominations of 100 Conservative MPs, the threshold set by the party to stand.

However, both Sunak and Johnson are yet to announce they are running, with reports that a declaration by the former was imminent.

The Tories were forced into a second, this time expedited, leadership contest since the summer after Truss dramatically announced on Thursday she would stand down — just 44 tempestuous days into her tenure. It followed a disastrous tax-slashing mini-budget that sparked economic and political turmoil which Sunak had predicted.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2022