Tory plans for Boris Johnson to return to Downing Street met with shock and ridicule

If you’ve only just got over the Tory fallout over the Rwanda policy (which has seen sacked home secretary Suella Braverman launch a scathing attack on Rishi Sunak, and immigration minister Robert Jenrick resign in protest), then brace yourself for reports that “multiple” Conservative MPs are hatching a plan to bring Boris Johnson back as prime minister.

And not only that, but The Mail on Sunday has even claimed they want a “dream ticket” scenario where ex-Ukip politician Nigel Farage 'teams up' with Johnson.

One Tory MP is quoted as saying: “When Farage comes back [from Australia after appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!] he’s going to be all over the airwaves, and he’s going to have us in his sights."

Another added: “Reform are going to kill us, so we have to buy Farage off. The plan is we get him into the Lords, give him some brief like we did with Cameron … then go to the country with the dream team.”

Because of course, bringing back that former prime minister went down well with the public…

Thankfully, on this point, a source close to the Reform Party’s honorary president has insisted a pact between Johnson and Farage would “soon end in tears”.

As for support for a Johnson return to Downing Street, one ‘red wall’ MP said: “Whatever you feel about him, one thing no one can question is his effectiveness as a campaigner. And we need that now, we’re staring at obliteration.”

A second backer cited his appearance at the Covid inquiry this week as proof Johnson can be serious and "on top of the detail".

Because him being heckled on his second day of giving evidence certainly shows he's popular with the public...

The publication also says Sunak critics have come up with an “Advent calendar of s***” (yes, really) to frustrate the prime minister, which includes “increasingly outspoken interventions” and rebellions on key votes – all with the intention of ‘crashing’ the government, according to one supportive MP.

It comes ahead of a vote on Sunak's new bill to allow for the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda on Tuesday.

Another suggestion is getting Priti Patel, the former home secretary, in as a ‘caretaker PM’ while Johnson makes his way back to parliament and then Downing Street as an MP.

Although it is just a report at this stage, fury over Sunak’s premiership from some factions of the Conservative Party has not gone unnoticed in recent weeks, with staunch Johnson supporter Dame Andrea Jenkyns confirming she has written a letter of no confidence to the backbench 1922 Committee.

Now talks of a Johnson comeback have been widely ridiculed on social media:

A spokesman for Johnson didn’t wade into the discussion around leadership hopes, instead saying the soon-to-be GB News host is “currently writing a book and is supporting the government”.

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