Return of Boris Johnson poses biggest threat to Keir Starmer being PM

Keir Starmer is warned by Labour strategists that the return of Boris Johnson poses the biggest threat to the chances of him becoming Prime Minister

• Key swing voters from 2019 General Election increasingly discounting Partygate
• Instead they are placing more emphasis on Boris’ leadership during Covid crisis 
• Former Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorris said Tory Party will ‘die’ with Boris as PM

Labour strategists have warned Sir Keir Starmer that the return of Boris Johnson as Tory leader poses the biggest threat to his chances of entering Downing Street.

Private polling studied by Labour high command suggests that the key swing voters who switched to the Tories in the 2019 General Election are increasingly discounting the negative publicity surrounding the ‘Partygate’ rows which dogged Mr Johnson’s time in office, and are placing more emphasis on his leadership during the Covid crisis.

It comes as former Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries, a Boris loyalist, tells The Mail on Sunday that the Tory Party will ‘die’ if Mr Johnson does not return as leader.

Labour strategists have warned Sir Keir Starmer that the return of Boris Johnson as Tory leader poses the biggest threat to his chances of entering Downing Street

Key swing voters who switched to the Tories in the 2019 General Election are increasingly discounting the negative publicity surrounding the ‘Partygate’ rows

The ex-Culture Secretary writes: ‘It’s bring back Boris Johnson or die because the first priority of any Labour government will be to ensure that there will never be a majority Conservative government ever again.’

One Labour strategist tells MoS columnist Dan Hodges today that the ousting of Mr Johnson last year was ‘like gold dust for us’. The strategist said: ‘It brought into play this whole group of voters who were out of reach. There are a clump of seats we thought we could win that we now think we should win.’

Ms Dorries adds: ‘The fact is, he is the most impactful, charismatic, progressive and productive leader the Conservative Party has known since the days of Margaret Thatcher. The future of Conservative MPs rests in their own hands and they have a simple question to ask themselves: do they want to remain as MPs, or not? He is still our political rock star out on the streets.’

Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries, a Boris loyalist, tells The Mail on Sunday that the Tory Party will ‘die’ if Mr Johnson does not return as leader

Sources close to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak play down the credibility of a Boris comeback, which they say is being stoked by his acolytes – and by Labour strategists hoping to destabilise the current administration.

The news comes as former Chief Whip Mark Spencer said Mr Johnson could have a ‘big role in politics in the future’.

When asked whether the former PM would make a comeback, the Environment Minister said people should ‘never write him off’.

The Conservative MP for Sherwood told GB News in an interview to be broadcast today: ‘If you look back, everybody said he could never become Mayor of London, and he did it. And then they said, “Well you’ll never get re-elected. Look at the polls, the polls are telling you you’ll never get re-elected.” And he did it. “Well, you’ll never solve Brexit, Boris. The Theresa May government was completely paralysed. There’s nothing you can do, Boris, to solve this problem.” And he did it.

‘You know, I think you write Boris Johnson off at your peril. He’s a hugely, hugely talented politician.’

Without Boris, Tories will die    

By Nadine Dorries, Former Culture Secretary 

It should be no surprise to anyone that the thing the Labour Party fears most is the return of Boris Johnson.

Enough of their MPs let that slip at the time he was being removed as Prime Minister and were unable to contain their delight.

And not just Labour MPs – the Remain media, too. We all witnessed the gleeful reaction of BBC presenter Martine Croxall the day Boris resigned.

He is the most impactful, charismatic, progressive and productive leader the Conservative Party has known since the days of Margaret Thatcher. The future of Conservative MPs rests in their own hands, and they have a simple question to ask themselves: do they want to remain as MPs or not?

It is an undeniable fact that with Boris at the helm, more would return to Westminster following a General Election than with any other individual leading the party. He is still our political rock star out on the streets. The Prime Minister who got every single big decision right, from personally driving the vaccine programme to arming the people of Ukraine and standing up to Vladimir Putin.

With Rishi in No 10, we are heading into the long, cold and brutal wasteland of thankless opposition.

For the Conservatives, it’s bring back Boris or die because the first task of any Labour government would be to ensure that there’ll never be a majority Conservative government ever again.

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