London
CNN
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To viewers from outside the UK, it may seem odd that Boris Johnson is being exposed arrive back as prime ministerjust months after he was forced to resign in disgrace following a series of scandals.
However, that’s the main point in Westminster below Announcement of Liz Truss that she will resign after just 45 days in office.
Johnson’s allies believe he is the only one who can unite the ruling Conservatives and prevent an electoral wipeout that could leave the opposition party in a generation.
It’s true to say that Truss left something of a mess for her successor to deal with. Her failed economic plan makes things worse for those already suffering from the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, and the humiliating turn of the millennium. She has left a party divided and languishing in opinion polls.
So, why is Boris Johnson the answer?
For starters, it’s questionable whether he’s qualified to stand. Johnson’s resignation comes after a series of scandals made his position untenable. Most people believe that his downfall began when he used the power he held as prime minister to protect a political ally that was found to have violated the rules of the road. corridor action.
Then reports that Covid-19 lockdown rules had been broken inside Downing Street, including by Johnson himself, began to emerge.
After initially denying this in parliament, videos, photos and multiple accounts dominated British media for months. Eventually, Johnson was fined by the police for breaking the rules, becoming the first prime minister to be found guilty of breaking the law while in office.
And Johnson’s fate was decided when, on June 30, Johnson’s deputy chief executive, Chris Pincher, resigned following reports that he had groped two men at a private event. private. Pincher did not deny these allegations and admitted in his resignation letter that he drank too much.
Johnson managed to hold on, but his refusal to leave led to a wave of Cabinet resignations that lowered his position as prime minister.
All of that is unlikely to qualify for future office entry. But there’s nothing in British law that prevents a disgraced politician from returning.
Besides, his supporters say that Johnson is the only candidate with the mandate to govern. Their argument is that Johnson led the party to a resounding victory in 2019, winning a majority of 80 seats in parliament. They say the majority is his majority.
Nadine Dorries, who was a cabinet minister under Johnson, led the charge on this argument: “A person who has been elected by the British public with a manifesto and mandate until January 25,” she said. write on Twitter. “If Liz Truss is no longer PM, there can be no coronation of the contestants who have failed before. MPs must demand the return of Boris Johnson”. She added that a general election would be anti-democratic.
Johnson’s critics believe this argument is a myth. They point to the fact that he left office with a phenomenally low approval rating and his credibility deteriorated.
Johnson’s skeptics worry that in the public eye, he’s still the same man he was when he stepped down in July. They feared that bringing him back would only infuriate the British public. They noted that toward the end of his time in office, Johnson was booed at public events.
He still faces congressional investigation into whether he misled parliament. If found guilty, Johnson could be suspended from parliament, which would come as a surprise to an incumbent prime minister.
It’s hard to say how likely Johnson is to come back right now. CNN knows he’s taking the matter very seriously. However, it is not clear whether he has 100 supporters among MPs required to advance to the members’ vote. If he does make the final vote, it’s fair to say that Johnson will feel confident of a win.
It’s been a truly extraordinary few months in British politics and Johnson has played a role in the psychological horror. Returning to his office can provide a sense of relative calm after Truss’ chaos. Or it could make things worse.
The only thing to be certain is that if the Conservatives reinstall Johnson in Downing Street, they will be taking a huge gamble that could have a profound impact on a public that will have no say in who leads them next. Monday in a few weeks.
