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Could Boris Johnson Really Ride To The Tories’ Rescue By Making A Dramatic Return To Politics?

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Few political utterances have been as over-analysed as Boris Johnson’s final words as prime minister in the House of Commons.

“Mission largely accomplished – for now,” the then Tory leader told MPs on the day he left Downing Street, before adding: “Hasta la vista, baby.”

The literal translation of that Spanish phrase, which was made famous by Arnold Shwarzenegger in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, is “see you later”.

What did Johnson mean, numerous political commentators have pondered. Was it a typically flamboyant farewell, or was he giving notice that he would one day return to No.10?

The latter question seemed to be answered in the negative when, in 2023, he dramatically resigned as a Tory MP after the Commons privileges committee found him guilty of lying to parliament over the partygate scandal.

However, he did hint at a future return to the green benches by saying: “It is very sad to be leaving parliament, at least for now…”

With the Tories now fourth in the opinion polls, and Kemi Badenoch’s struggles as Conservative leader continuing, rumours are once again swirling at Westminster that Johnson is eyeing a comeback so he can revive his party’s fortunes.

The former PM did nothing to dampen such speculation by making a headline-grabbing intervention on Monday condemning Keir Starmer’s deal with the EU.

Starmer was, Johnson opined, merely “the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”.

His remarks were lapped up by the Tory-supporting press, who found less space to report on Badenoch’s own, more muted, reaction to the PM’s deal.

Tim Montgomerie, the former Tory who defected to Reform UK last year, then set more hares running when he told Times Radio that Johnson was very much on manoeuvres.

He said: “A big beast of the jungle, namely Boris Johnson, is definitely on the march. He’s always wanted to come back, but it’s in more advanced stages than most of us have realised up until now.”

Johnson, his supporters believe, is the only man who can take on and defeat Nigel Farage’s Reform, thereby allowing the party to then turn its fire on Keir Starmer and Labour.

HuffPost UK has been taking the temperature of senior Tory figures to gauge whether there is any appetite for Johnson’s return.

One veteran MP said: “He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back.

“Even his videos now look passe. Boris is the past not the future, whatever his lieutenants hope for or might want to spin.”

Johnson supporters were buoyed by recent polling by the More in Common think-tank which suggested the Tories would be leading in the polls if Johnson was leader again.

Speculation is also rife in Westminster that some Conservative MPs would even be willing to give up their seats to allow Johnson to run for parliament again.

A friend of Johnson told HuffPost UK that the main stumbling block to his return is his fraught relationship with his former colleagues.

“There’s obviously a Boris-shaped hole at the heart of British politics – we need someone with his energy, his passion and his true belief in the future of Britain,” the friend said.

“If we had a presidential system in this country it would be much easier to see him coming back, but the only way back for him is via the Conservative Party, and it was a really bad relationship at the end.”

“He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back.”

It is easy to forget the circumstances in which Johnson found himself having to vacate No.10 less than three years after leading the Tories to an 80-seat Commons majority.

Dogged by partygate, the final straw came with his handling of the scandal surrounding Chris Pincher, the former Tory deputy chief whip who was accused of sexual harassment.

Dozens of Johnson’s own ministers resigned in protest, forcing him to fall on his sword.

“They took him down and as that’s the only route back for him I don’t think there’s any prospect of him doing it,” said the Johnson ally. “It was a very bruising experience for him.”

He added: “Could Boris come back? Yes, definitely. Plenty of Tory MPs would offer their seat to him if he let it be known he wants to come back, but if he thinks it through, he’d realise that it would mean having to lead the parliamentary party that took him out, and I’m not sure he has the appetite for that.”

But another senior Tory was dismissive of the prospect of a Johnson return.

“In a crowded field of irrelevant former MPs he has to be pretty much at the top,” she said. “The country has changed and moved on and anyone who thinks they have a safe seat these days needs to give themselves a shake.”

Polling released by Ipsos this week contained good and bad news for Johnson.

Johnson has the second-highest favourability rating of any UK politician, with 26%. He is only beaten by Nigel Farage, who is on 31%.

However, more than half the public – 52% – have an unfavourable view of him, demonstrating just how divisive he remains with voters.

Keiran Pedley, director of UK politics at Ipsos, told HuffPost UK: “While Boris Johnson still has his fans, there are signs he might not be the election-winning weapon he once was.

“Also, in practical terms, any comeback would need him to deal with the legacy of partygate and immigration numbers under his watch.

“That said, if the Conservative Party continues to struggle, you would not be surprised if some Tory MPs took a good look at him anyway.”

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that if Boris Johnson really is the answer to the Tories’ problems, the party is in an even worse position than anyone possibly imagined.

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‘We Need To Move The Conversation On From Bathrooms,’ Trans Advocacy Group Says

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This April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman within the Equality Act of 2010 is a person who was born biologically female.

At the time, The Good Law Project said the move “sets a dangerous precedent and erases trans women from protections” and “puts trans rights back 20 years.”

Though Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said that trans “rights must be respected” after the ruling, some see the actions that have taken place since as going against that message.

Falkener has also suggested that trans rights groups should push for a separate “third space” when seeking a bathroom or changing room.

As a result, trans advocacy organisation TransActual UK has revealed an installation outside the UK Supreme Court called a “Third Toilet,” created by BBH London.

The Third Toilet

Rhiannon Adam / TransActual / BBH

The Third Toilet

The government promised “clarity,” but TransActual feels it hasn’t delivered

In a press release, Hafsa Qureshi, a director of TransActual UK, said: “The Supreme Court claimed it brought clarity to an area of difficulty” with its April ruling.

“However, it did the exact opposite while also diminishing the rights or status of trans people in the UK.”

They continue, “This campaign is a powerful statement about being forced to exist without safety, privacy, and rights, in full view of a society that refuses to see us; a demand for legal clarity, human dignity, and real, lived safety for all trans people; and an attempt to put pressure on public policy makers to ensure they are answering questions and, ultimately, are held to account.”

Meanwhile, Olivia Campbell Cavendish, a founder and executive director of the Trans Legal Clinic, says that we “need to move the conversation on from ridiculous things like bathrooms and onto the things that matter.”

Our focus, the founder said, should be on “the safety of trans people everywhere.”

The aim of the installation is to reclaim the conversation and inspire solidarity

Camila Gurgel and Ieva Paulina, associate creative directors at agency BBH, which made the “third toilet” installation, say that the aim was to gain back control of the conversation.

“The trans community was left out of a decision that directly impacted their lives,” they said (The Good Law Project, among others, says that the Supreme Court did not listen to trans voices in the lead-up to their ruling).

“So we set out to create something that will help their voices be heard and their demands recognised.”

Their hope, they say, is that the third Toilet installation “sparks awareness, conversation, solidarity and inspires more people to stand with the trans community.”

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Kemi Badenoch’s Popularity Hits New Low As Tory Crisis Deepens

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Kemi Badenoch’s popularity has hit a new low as she struggles to turn around the Tories’ fortunes, according to a new poll.

The Ipsos survey shows that just 17% of the public have a favourable view towards her.

That is the lowest ever recorded for her by the pollster, and a worse rating than both Boris Johnson (26%) and Rishi Sunak (21%).

Meanwhile, 49% of voters have an unfavourable view of her, giving her a net score of minus 32.

The most popular politician in the country, according to the poll, is Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has a favourability rating of 31%.

Boris Johnson is second, followed by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey on 25% and Keir Starmer on 23%.

Robert Jenrick, who Badenoch beat to the Tory leadership last year, has a favourability rating of just 16%, the same as chancellor Rachel Reeves.

In a further blow for Badenoch, just 20% of the public have a favourable view of the Conservative Party, putting them behind Reform, the Greens, the Lib Dems and Labour.

The Tories’ unfavourability rating of 56% is also far worse than any of their rival’s.

The findings come after a YouGov poll earlier this week put the Tories in fourth place behind Reform, Labour and the Lib Dems.

Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “While Labour has seen a slight bump in favourability, most people still think the country is heading in the wrong direction and are critical of the prime minister and chancellor.

“In contrast, Nigel Farage and his party continue to be buoyed by very high approval ratings among their own base, even though they are more divisive among Labour, Lib Dem and Green supporters.

“The Conservatives, though, face perhaps the toughest picture, with Kemi Badenoch’s rating dipping to its lowest level as Conservative leader and the party’s overall favourability continuing to be the lowest of any party polled.

“The Conservatives are finding it particularly difficult to rebuild after their losses in the 2024 election, but both the main two parties are struggling with public disillusionment with the established political order, and a potential appetite for alternative voices in British politics from both sides of the spectrum.”

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Doctors Threaten Fresh Strike Action Over ‘Woefully Inadequate’ Government Pay Offer

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Doctors have warned they are prepared to strike again after accusing the government of making a “woefully inadequate” pay offer.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents junior doctors, hit out after ministers said their salaries will increase by 4% this year.

Teachers’ leaders also reacted angrily after schools were told they would have to find savings to help fund their own 4% pay award.

Junior doctors staged a series of walkouts over pay under the last Tory government, but called them off after Labour awarded them pay rises following last year’s general election.

Professor Philip Banfield, chair of the BMA council, warned health secretary Wes Streeting that his members were willing to strike again unless he came up with more money.

He said: “The health secretary can avert strike action by negotiating with us and agreeing a route to full pay restoration.

“As it stands, resident doctors are vindicated for their decision to announce a ballot for industrial action opening later this month, because Mr Streeting is not, so far, committing to meaningfully restoring their pay.

“The BMA’s resident doctors committee’s response to this is clear: the only path that will avoid strike action is the one that leads doctors to full pay restoration.”

Other NHS workers in England, including nurses, midwives and physiotherapists, will receive a 3.6% pay uplift, effective from April 1, Streeting said.

Those who are represented by the GMB union and the Royal College of Nursing are to vote on whether to accept the award.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, warned the government there would be “cuts in service provision to children and young people, job losses, and additional workloads for an already overstretched profession”.

He added: “Unless the government commit to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the government on the issue of funding, and campaign to ensure every parent understands the impact of a cut in the money available to schools, and that every politician understands this too.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Unions want to work with the government to address the recruitment and retention crisis gripping our public services – a crisis caused by 14 years of Conservative mismanagement and deliberate underinvestment.

“That means getting around the table to develop workforce plans for every area of the public sector.

“Ministers need to talk directly to unions to address the root causes behind dedicated and experienced public servants quitting their professions.

“And we need a clear, jointly agreed long-term strategy to improve public sector pay, alongside other crucial issues such as better working hours, more manageable workloads, and enhanced flexible working options.”

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Elon Musk Loses It With Mishal Husain Over DOGE Question: ‘Like Talking To A Computer’

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Elon Musk flipped out at a journalist who dared to question the billionaire’s success as President Donald Trump’s federal spending hatchet man.

The tech billionaire told Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain, a respected former BBC broadcaster, that “it’s like talking to a computer” when she suggested his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) risked falling short of its $2 trillion savings target.

On Tuesday, Musk was interviewed by Husain via video at an economic forum in Qatar, and was asked about DOGE not meeting the goal.

She reminded Musk of his pledge — at a high-profile rally for Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October — that he’d cut “at least $2 trillion” from the federal government budget.

Experts had dismissed the $2 trillion aim as extremely unrealistic since it would equate to almost all discretionary funding, including programs for transportation, education and housing, so well beyond the fraud and waste Musk has said repeatedly would make up the bulk of the cuts.

DOGE has itself said it has only slashed $160 billion to date.

“You’ve talked about $4 billion a day being saved,” Husain said. “And I think everyone can agree that combating waste and inefficiency in government is a very good thing, but if you add that up, it’s not gonna get to $2 trillion over the lifetime of DOGE.”

Musk appeared not to understand or hear the question, so Husain repeated herself.

“I mean, I feel you’re somewhat trapped in the NPC dialogue tree of a traditional journalist,” Musk snapped. The term NPC derives from video games and refers to a “non-playable character.”

“So it’s difficult when I’m conversing with someone who’s trapped in the dialogue tree of a conventional journalist because it’s like talking to a computer.”

In a defense of DOGE’s work, Musk went on to stress the organisation “is an advisory group” and “we’re doing the best we can.”

He conceded the three branches of government “are to some degree opposed to that level of cost savings.”

The defensive response is the latest sign that the world’s richest man’s dream of transforming Washington, DC, has turned into a nightmare.

Almost ever-present at the president’s side in the early days of the second Trump administration, the Tesla CEO has since scaled back his day-to-day involvement with DOGE following political and consumer backlash that was threatening his business interests.

Trump signalled their relationship was changing when he effectively said farewell to the tech billionaire at a Cabinet meeting last month.

“He wants to get back home to his cars,” the president said.

In the same interview with Husain, Musk revealed he plans to significantly cut his political spending, saying he has “done enough.”

The GOP donor spent at least $250 million to get Trump elected last year.

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Nigel Farage Dubbed A ‘Part-Time Leader’ After Missing EU Debate To Go On Holiday

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Nigel Farage has been dubbed a “part-time leader” after he missed a crunch Commons debate because he is on holiday.

The Reform UK leader confirmed he was taking his “first overseas break for three years” while Keir Starmer faced questions on the deal he has struck with the EU.

The leading Brexiteer has been notable by his absence since the PM finalised the agreement with Brussels bosses at a summit on Monday.

And the mystery deepened when he failed to turn up to quiz the PM in parliament today.

In a statement issued afterwards, Farage said: “There seems to be great consternation in the press that they have not seen me for 48 hours. Well, they will have to wait some time.

“After months of touring the UK in the run up to our hugely successful local election campaign I will resume travelling the country next week as Reform moves to the next stage.

“Meanwhile I am having my first overseas break for three years, the jungle excepted. Well I say break.. plenty of articles and fundraising calls!”

Ironically, parliament is in recess next week, meaning Farage would have been free to go on holiday then without missing any Commons debates.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The part-time leader of Reform UK is sunning himself in Europe while parliament is sitting. He clearly doesn’t have the stamina to stand up to Starmer.

“Only the Conservatives are providing proper opposition to this disastrous Labour government.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage clearly cares so passionately about this issue he’s decided he can’t get up from his sunbed to represent his constituents or his party.

“He’s not a leader – he’s an opportunist who just talks Britain down whenever it suits him.”

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JD Vance Uses Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis To Criticize His Job As President

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Vice President JD Vance responded on Monday to Joe Biden’s new cancer diagnosis by criticising the former president’s performance in the White House and furthering claims that those close to the Democrat hid his poor health from the public.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force 2, the vice president first wished for Biden to make “the right recovery,” saying the 82-year-old’s diagnosis “sounds pretty serious.”

Vance essentially ended his empathy there, accusing Biden of doing a bad job leading the country and pinning his capacity to serve as president on his poor health.

“I will say, whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job,” Vance said.

“You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with a recognition that, whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president, I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people.”

“And that’s not politics. That’s not because I disagreed with him on policy,” he continued. “That’s because I don’t think that he was in good enough health.”

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.@VP JD Vance on former President Biden’s cancer diagnosis: \"We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job…I don’t think that he was in good enough health. In some ways, I blame him less than I blame the people around him.\" pic.twitter.com/0DYOd2mu4G

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2025

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.@VP JD Vance on former President Biden’s cancer diagnosis: “We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job…I don’t think that he was in good enough health. In some ways, I blame him less than I blame the people around him.” pic.twitter.com/0DYOd2mu4G

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 19, 2025

Biden was diagnosed on Friday with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which his office said has metastasised to his bones. Doctors diagnosed him after finding a prostate nodule while looking into the former president’s urinary issues earlier this year.

The Democrat’s age and health came front and centre last year after his concerning presidential debate performance while seeking re-election. Biden eventually stepped down to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to run in his place with just months until the election. Harris lost to Donald Trump, leading many Democrats to blame Biden’s initial persistence for their party’s loss.

Biden recently faced renewed bipartisan concerns regarding his health amid the upcoming release of “Original Sin,” a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson that claims Biden aides intentionally hid the extent of his physical and cognitive decline from the public.

The allegations have led Republicans like Donald Trump Jr. — and apparently Vance — to baselessly accuse Biden and those close to him of hiding his cancer while he was still president. Trump Jr. faced backlash earlier on Monday for spreading, without evidence, a conspiracy that Biden was likely diagnosed while in the White House and that his wife, Jill Biden, helped keep it from the public.

“In some ways I blame him less than I blame the people around him. And why didn’t the American people have a better sense of his health picture? Why didn’t the American people have more accurate information about what he was actually dealing with?” said Vance, who serves as vice president to the man whose cognitive health has repeatedly come into question due to the 78-year-old’s frequent and incoherent ramblings, his memory issues and his impulsivity with respect to major political decisions.

“This is serious stuff. This is the guy who carries around the nuclear football for the world’s largest nuclear arsenal,” Vance continued. “This is not child’s play, and we can pray for good health, but also recognise that if you’re not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn’t be doing the job.”

Cancers that have spread to other parts of the body are normally difficult to treat — but because Biden’s cancer appears hormone-sensitive, according to his office, he may be able to treat it by depriving the tumors of hormones. Doctors have said that, while metastasised prostate cancer is incurable, men receiving such treatment can expect to live for an average of five more years.

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