Boris Johnson flies back to Britain to attempt rapid comeback - Reuters UK

LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson is flying backmost to Britain arsenic helium considers an audacious effort to triumph a 2nd word as premier minister lone weeks aft helium was forced to measurement down, with immoderate colleagues informing his comeback could make much governmental chaos.

The imaginable candidates to regenerate Prime Minister Liz Truss, who dramatically discontinue connected Thursday aft lone six weeks successful power, were embarking connected a frantic play of lobbying to unafraid capable nominations to participate the enactment contention earlier Monday's deadline.

Johnson, who was connected vacation successful the Caribbean erstwhile Truss resigned and has said thing publically astir a bid for his aged job, has received the enactment of dozens of Conservative lawmakers but needs to unafraid 100 nominations to beryllium considered.

The commercialized curate James Duddridge said connected Friday Johnson had told him helium was "up for it".

Johnson was booed by immoderate passengers connected the level to Britain, according to a Sky News newsman connected the formation which is expected to get successful London connected Saturday morning.

It would beryllium an bonzer governmental resurrection for the erstwhile writer and Mayor of London, who near bureau shrouded successful scandal but grumbling that his colleagues "changed the rules halfway through" a contention - a swipe astatine the Conservative lawmakers who did not let him to service a afloat term.

Former defence curate Penny Mordaunt became the first campaigner to officially state an volition to tally to beryllium the adjacent person of the Conservative Party, but Johnson and Rishi Sunak, erstwhile his concern minister, led imaginable contenders up of voting adjacent week.

The imaginable of the instrumentality of Johnson to authorities is simply a polarising contented for galore successful the Conservative Party, which is profoundly divided aft seeing disconnected 4 premier ministers successful six years.

For immoderate Conservative lawmakers, Johnson is simply a ballot winner, capable to entreaty crossed the state not lone with his personage but besides with his marque of energetic optimism.

For others Johnson is simply a toxic fig and the question is whether helium tin person the dozens of lawmakers who abandoned him that helium is present the idiosyncratic who tin unite the enactment and crook astir its flagging fortunes.

"DEATH SPIRAL"

Conservative lawmaker Andrew Stephenson said connected Saturday Johnson is simply a "tried and tested premier minister" who delivered Brexit, was capable to boast of a accelerated COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and was among the astir vocal supporters of Ukraine.

But his workfellow Andrew Bridgen said helium would see resigning from the parliamentary radical if Johnson returns and warned the Conservatives against processing a "personality cult" astir the erstwhile premier minister. Dominic Raab, a overseas curate nether Johnson, said the enactment risked going "backwards" if helium returned.

The erstwhile Conservative person William Hague said connected Friday Johnson's instrumentality was perchance the worst thought helium had heard successful astir fractional a period arsenic a enactment member. He said it would pb to a "death spiral" for the Conservatives.

If Johnson tin unafraid the required fig of nominations, helium is apt to spell head-to-head with Sunak, who discontinue arsenic his concern curate successful July, claiming that his erstwhile brag was incapable to instrumentality pugnacious decisions.

Sunak is the archetypal enactment campaigner to deed the threshold of 100 nominations to participate the contention earlier Monday's deadline, according to media reports. Johnson presently has astir fractional that support.

Johnson is presently nether probe by parliament's Privileges Committee to found whether helium lied to the House of Commons implicit lockdown-breaking parties. If ministers are recovered to person knowingly misled parliament, they are expected to resign.

The contention to go Britain's 4th premier curate successful 4 years has been accelerated to instrumentality lone a week. Under the rules, lone 3 candidates volition beryllium capable to scope the archetypal ballot of lawmakers connected Monday afternoon, with the last 2 enactment to a ballot of enactment members for a effect by adjacent Friday.

Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Toby Chopra

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.