As British Prime Minister Liz Truss put in her papers, several names as frontrunners to succeed her have been doing the rounds.
And among them, the most prominent seems to be Rishi Sunak, ex-Foreign Minister who lost out in the previous race to Truss post- the resignation of Boris Johnson.
Now according to media reports, Johnson is desperate to make a comeback and has even reportedly suggested Sunak to opt out of the race.
Johnson who was unceremoniously 'ousted' as PM "is making a larger point to Conservative MPs — that only he can save the party from facing defeat in the elections due in December 2024," as per a report in The Telegraph, London.
A comeback for partygate-hit Johnson is increasingly looking likely with reports that he has the support of around 140 MPs.
The former prime minister, who was holidaying in the Caribbean, is believed to be on a flight back to get his leadership campaign going quickly.
On the contrary, Opposition parties are asking for a snap polls.
The Telegraph reports states Johnson is now “pressing Rishi Sunak to reach out and get back together”, said the Telegraph report, terming it “a remarkable olive branch after their public falling out”.
The Conservative party election is slated next week, with a decision expected by Friday.
Meanwhile, ex-finance minister Sajid Javid has endorsed Sunak to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and the country's next prime minister. ”It is abundantly clear that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to match the challenges we face - he is the right person to lead our party and take the country forward,” Javid said in a post on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the bookies' odds have rocketed in favour of British Indian former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
as the runner-up of the leadership election which concluded last month, the former finance minister who had forecast much of the economic crisis unleashed by Truss' mini-budget is seen as a safe pair of hands to take charge at 10 Downing Street.
The 42-year-old is holding a solid 55 per cent lead with the Oddschecker betting odds aggregator, followed by a 29 per cent chance of former prime minister Boris Johnson making a comeback. Third-placed in what is emerging as a three-way contest is Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, who had polled third in the first round of parliamentary votes to shortlist candidates for the last leadership race.
"I back Rishi Sunak to be our next PM. He has the plan and credibility to: restore financial stability, help get inflation down and deliver sustainable tax cuts over time; and unite the Conservatives by bringing the best talent into government to deliver for the British people," tweeted former Cabinet minister Dominic Raab, among the first of nearly 50 MPs to openly declare support for Sunak.
Under the rules set of this Tory leadership race, a candidate must have a minimum of 100 members of Parliament backing them to make the shortlist by the Monday 2pm local time deadline.
Polling suggests that Johnson, who won a thumping majority in the 2019 general election, remains popular with the wider Tory membership. Johnson's return would mark a dramatic comeback, having been dragged out of office by his Cabinet and MPs only 45 days ago.
With PTI and Reuters inputs
