Boris Johnson faces being booted out by Christmas if he returns as PM and is found guilty in a probe on claims he lied about Partygate, Tories have warned.
And key figures fear his comeback would spark a full-scale civil war within the party as it still reels from his scandal-ridden period in office.
With the Tories engulfed in a political storm after Liz Truss quit on Wednesday, Johnson was yesterday still sunning himself on a Caribbean holiday with wife Carrie – as our exclusive picture shows.
But he is expected to fly back today to plot a new bid for power. A friend said last night: “He’s WhatsApping MPs saying, ‘I’m flying back, we’re going to do this, I’m up for it’.” Tory MP James Duddridge claimed Johnson told him in a phone call: “I’m going to do it.”But critics warned MPs would quit the party in droves if he does return as PM, just weeks after he was ousted amid Partygate lies, his handling of sex harassment complaints against a minister and a looming probe.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk