BoJo Didn’t Discuss ‘Bring Back Boris’ Campaign With Former Tory Treasurer, Report Says

In his resignation speech on July 7, Boris Johnson, who stepped down as UK prime minister following a series of scandals, including the “Partygate” row, expressed sadness over quitting what he described as “the best job in the world.”

BoJo has never met the Conservative Party’s former treasurer, Tory donor Lord Cruddas to discuss the peer’s “Bring Back Boris” campaign calling for a vote among the Tory grassroots to confirm whether they accept Johnson’s resignation, according to the Telegraph.

The newspaper quoted unnamed senior Conservative source as saying “the PM does not support this campaign and respects the process of the leadership election.”

“He does not support any campaign to put him on the leadership ballot and will back whoever is the next leader”, the source added.

This followed the Telegraph reporting that late last week, Johnson purportedly told Lord Cruddas that he “wants to fight the next general election as leader of the party” as the two talked about the “Bring back Boris” campaign during a lunch at Chequers.

The newspaper cited Cruddas as claiming that Johnson also told him he was “enjoying following” his petition and "rooting for your campaign to succeed”.

“There was no ambiguity in Boris’s views. He definitely does not want to resign. He wants to carry on and he believes that, with the membership behind him, he can”, the peer added.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the two remaining Tory leadership candidates, have meanwhile ruled out giving Johnson a role in government if they succeed him as prime minister.

In their first head-to-head live TV debate on Monday night, Truss said she believes BoJo “needs a well-earned break” before eventually saying he will not be part of her top team. Sunak in turn said, “The simple answer from me is no, I think we need to look forward at this point, that’s why I want to be prime minister.”

On July 7, Johnson announced he was standing down as the UK's prime minister in a move that came in the wake of a flood of resignations from his government, including the departure of Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Calls for the PM to resign began after it was revealed that a number of social gatherings - dubbed "Partygate" - were held in No 10 Downing Street at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, despite stringent rules against socializing introduced by his government.

The last straw, however, was BoJo’s claim earlier this month that he knew nothing about the reputation of Tamworth MP Christopher Pincher - who was accused of sexual assault, when he appointed him deputy chief whip; this was exposed as a lie.