Boris Johnson is a poor candidate for resurrection

Editorial: If Boris Johnson wins the upcoming Conservative leadership contest, his victory will be based on a lethal cocktail of myth, wishful thinking and nostalgia for the recent past

(Dave Brown)

Before the former prime minister has even declared his candidacy for the greatest comeback since Lazarus, the Conservative leadership election has already turned into a referendum on Boris Johnson.

Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, his most likely opponents, have been relegated to mere spear-carriers in the latest act in the drama that is the rise, fall, and possibly rise again of Mr Johnson. Ms Mordaunt’s declared candidature and pitch as a truly “fresh start” is bad news for Mr Johnson, as she may well cannibalise some of his natural support. But Mr Johnson has his following in the Commons, and he should never be underestimated.

Can he win? Should he win? Those are very different questions, though both are fairly easy to answer. If Mr Johnson makes it onto the electronic ballot that will go to the party membership, there seems little doubt that he will win and return to Downing Street. Even during the last leadership contest, there were petitions, grassroots organisations attempting to get the former leader onto the ballot papers, and talk of legal attempts to force him into the process (though Mr Johnson himself didn’t evince much enthusiasm for such a scrap).