'Dream ticket' of Johnson and Farage mooted by some Tory MPs
December 10, 2023EXCLUSIVE Chatter grows of a ‘dream ticket’ of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as supporters of the former PM claim ‘we need him back more than anything’ and the ex-Brexit Party leader leaves I’m A Celebrity in third place
- Conservative backers of Boris Johnson considering bringing him back to the fold
- MPs said to be considering ticket with Nigel Farage, the ex-Brexit Party leader
- Reform Party leader Richard Tice said there was ‘no way’ they would do a deal
A group of Tory MPs who ‘regret’ ousting Boris Johnson are behind an extraordinary bid to bring him back in the hope of saving the election.
Amid speculation that Rishi Sunak could face a leadership challenge in the coming weeks, MPs are considering whether the former prime minister could return to power.
They believe he is ‘the best campaigner’ since Margaret Thatcher and would be a ‘huge asset’ to the party.
MPs are even considering whether he could run a ‘dream ticket’ leadership tie-up with Nigel Farage, now a member of Reform UK.
However Reform’s leader Richard Tice poured cold water on the suggestion yesterday, saying there is ‘no way on earth we are doing a deal with Toxic Tories’.
There is a group of Conservative Party MPs that would like to bring back former Prime Minister Boris Johnson
They are said to be considering whether Johnson could run a ‘dream ticket’ leadership tie-up with Nigel Farage, now a member of Reform UK
Another idea floated is that Priti Patel, the former home secretary, could be installed as a caretaker prime minister while Mr Johnson – who quit the Commons earlier this year – stands for a safe seat at the election.
Alternatively, an MP yesterday suggested the former prime minister could stand in a by-election – such as Wellingborough, where a petition is under way to decide whether incumbent MP Peter Bone should lose his seat.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson would not be drawn on his political ambitions last night, but denied the existence of any plans to team up with Mr Farage.
He said: ‘Boris Johnson is currently writing a book and is supporting the Government.’
The Mail on Sunday, which first revealed the plot, also reported that Mr Sunak’s enemies have drawn up an ‘Advent calendar of s**t’ to further destabilise the Prime Minister.
They allegedly want to ‘crash’ Mr Sunak’s government to install a leader who could close the gap in the polls with Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
One Tory MP said last night: ‘I’d do almost anything to have him back, because he wins elections and it’s as simple as that.’
Boris Johnson could succeed MP Peter Bone, who is facing a petition is to decide whether incumbent he should lose his seat, Conservative MPs have mooted
Reform’s leader Richard Tice poured cold water on the suggestion yesterday, saying there is ‘no way on earth we are doing a deal with Toxic Tories’
They likened Mr Johnson to a ‘star striker’ who had ‘a few bad games’ and was sold to a lower-league football club, adding: ‘We need him back more than anything.’ Another said: ‘Boris is without doubt the best campaigner we’ve had since Margaret Thatcher and if he wants to come back in whatever capacity, not necessarily as leader, but I would have thought that he would be a huge asset to deploy at election time. ‘We need someone who is a campaigner and not a manager.’
A third senior MP said: ‘I never wanted him to go.
‘I think you should not get rid of people who have won an election.’
However, other supporters of Mr Johnson said it would be ‘taking the p***’ to have a fourth prime minister in one parliamentary term.
‘I can’t see it happening because there’s a lack of an alternative option.
‘But that’s the thing about Boris –he’s an alternative person.
‘It would also be returning to the person who won us the mandate in 2019.’
Meanwhile, a Tory source said: ‘Tackling illegal immigration is an issue that conjures up very passionate debate, and we are seeing some people who are particularly passionate speak very loudly. But the majority of the party just wants us to demonstrate action on this.
‘We must give them something to take into the next election that they can say ‘we promised to do this… and look how much we’ve achieved in tackling this issue despite every blockage in our way’.’
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