Liz Truss has resigned as UK prime minister after just 45 days in office. Video / AP
Boris Johnson has confirmed he is “up for” the challenge of taking back his old job as British Prime Minister in the wake of Liz Truss’ resignation.
Johnson, who was reported to be on holiday in the Caribbean when news of Truss’ resignation broke, told Minister of State for International Trade James Duddridge he was on the first flight back.
“I’m flying back, Dudders. We are going to do this. I’m up for it,” The Sun quotes Johnson as saying.
He faces his former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was narrowly defeated by Truss for the leadership but who claims to have secured the 100 votes necessary to assume the leadership.
Johnson is currently past the halfway mark at 53 supporters, with a number of key politicians publicly throwing their support behind him.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has indicated he was “leaning towards” supporting Johnson, according to The Sun.
The British tabloid also reported Truss seemed likely to put her support behind Johnson, who backed her bid to take over after his own resignation, ahead of Sunak.
Strangely, Education Minister Jonathan Gullis and MP Caroline Johnson, who both resigned in July in order to force Johnson’s exit, have agreed to support his return.
The country’s Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has come out in strong support of Johnson, saying: “Boris is the best answer but the party must rediscover loyalty regardless.”
✅ Only Boris has a mandate from the public ✅ Only Boris has got the big calls right ✅ Only Boris can deliver on the promise to level up ✅ Only Boris can win the next election pic.twitter.com/MOYW4RhXUE
Secretary of State Simon Clarke has taken to Twitter to campaign for Johnson’s return, congratulating his colleagues for coming out and pledging their support.
“Great to be joined by another Cabinet colleague tonight,” he wrote after UN Climate Change Conference president and Cabinet Office Minister Alok Sharma confirmed his support for Johnson.
“I am backing Boris Johnson – he won a mandate from the electorate in 2019,” Sharma wrote.
I am backing @BorisJohnson - he won a mandate from the electorate in 2019
We need to get back to delivering on the @conservatives manifesto we were elected on
While many of the candidates backing Johnson have pointed to the election mandate from 2019, polling from YouGov showed the public would not be so quick to forgive Johnson after the ‘Partygate’ scandal that cost him the job.
A total of 52 per cent of the public said they would be unhappy to see him return, with the polls predicting he would take home 35 per cent of the vote if an election were called tomorrow.
Dominic Raab, who served as Deputy Prime Minister under Johnson, is one of the prominent members who has given his support to Sunak.
“He has the plan & credibility to: restore financial stability, help get inflation down & deliver sustainable tax cuts over time; and unite the Conservatives by bringing the best talent into govt to deliver for the British people,” he wrote on Twitter.
