Johnson returns to UK from Dominican Republic after speculation swirls about party leadership

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to the United Kingdom from the Dominican Republic on Saturday amid speculation that he will make another bid to run for prime minister following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss.

The British government has been thrown into chaos after Truss announced Thursday that she will step down from her office after serving for only 44 days, the shortest amount of time a prime minister has served in the post.

Truss faced outrage after she released her economic plan, which included cutting taxes across the board, especially for the wealthiest individuals, as the country deals with sky-high inflation.

She soon lost the confidence of much of her Conservative Party and announced her resignation. 

Her resignation is expected to take effect after the party chooses its next leader in the next week. 

Johnson resigned in early September after a three-year tenure. He faced a series of controversies during his time as prime minister, including multiple parties he held or attended in defiance of his own government’s COVID-19 regulations. 

The Independent reported that Johnson had been on the trip with his family for a few weeks, so it is unclear if he is returning because he intends to run for prime minister or because the trip concluded. 

The Washington Post reported that the three presumed front-runners for the position are Johnson, former Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, the head of the House of Commons. 

Sunak was considered a top contender to succeed Johnson before Truss was ultimately chosen. 

The Post reported that Johnson’s ally, James Duddridge, said that Johnson is flying back with the intention of running. 

Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, who served under Johnson, said in an interview with the BBC that he doesn’t see how Johnson could give the country the “attention it needs” amid an investigation into alleged parties that occurred throughout the pandemic. 

Raab said he respects Johnson and believes he can return to “front-line” politics but not as prime minister. 

“We cannot go backwards. We cannot have another episode of the ‘Groundhog Day,’ of the soap opera of ‘Partygate,’ ” he said.