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Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has teased the possibility of returning to front-line politics, suggesting that his political career may not be over. Johnson, who was forced out of office in 2022 and resigned as a Member of Parliament a year later, revealed his ongoing desire to serve in public life. Referring to his own resilience, Johnson said that all effective politicians must possess a "cockroach-like" determination to survive.

 

In a recent interview with *Times Radio*, Johnson downplayed his chances of leading the Conservative Party again, humorously comparing the odds to “being blinded by a champagne cork or decapitated by a frisbee.” However, when pressed on whether he still harbored political ambitions, Johnson didn’t rule out a return, instead quoting the late Queen Elizabeth II: “You should only do things if you think you can be useful.”

 

When asked if he believed he could still be of use to the public, Johnson responded cryptically, saying, "I’m not saying that." He elaborated, stating that politicians, to be effective, must have a survival instinct akin to "wasps in a jam jar" or "cockroaches" and that this persistence is not necessarily a negative quality. "We all need people who really, really want to do their best for us," Johnson added, defending the tenacity required to navigate public life.

 

Though Johnson refrained from weighing in too heavily on the current Conservative leadership race, he did acknowledge the competence of the candidates, including Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch. “You haven’t asked me about the current Tory leaders because you think I’m not going to say anything,” he said with a smile. “But I will say, actually, the candidates are very good, and they’re having some excellent conversations about where we go next.”

 

Johnson also addressed the controversy surrounding the "Partygate" scandal, which significantly contributed to his political downfall. Fined for attending a birthday party in the Cabinet Room during lockdown in 2020, Johnson faced a vote of no confidence in June 2022, which he narrowly survived. However, the scandal continued to haunt him, and the Chris Pincher affair ultimately led to his resignation from Parliament in July 2023. Reflecting on the inquiry led by Sue Gray into Partygate, Johnson expressed frustration, accusing Gray of bias. "She cherry-picked stuff… She had hundreds of young officials, not all of whom were favourably disposed towards me," he claimed, suggesting the report was slanted against him. When asked if Gray had "screwed him over," Johnson replied, "I think to some extent yeah, probably."

 

Johnson went further, claiming that Gray was "about as responsible as I was" for the breaches of lockdown rules within Whitehall during the pandemic, a statement likely to reignite debates about his role in the scandal.

 

Shifting his attention to international affairs, Johnson defended former U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite disagreeing with Trump’s actions during the January 6 Capitol riots, Johnson maintained that Trump did not intend to "overthrow the constitution." He emphasized the importance of the peaceful transfer of power, which ultimately occurred after the riots.

Regarding Trump’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Johnson suggested that concerns over the former president’s position were "overdone." He pointed to Trump’s support for Ukraine during his presidency, citing the provision of Javelin missiles and the expulsion of Russian spies from the U.S. during Johnson’s tenure as foreign secretary. “So he can surprise very much on the upside,” Johnson remarked.

 

Reflecting on his own time as Prime Minister, Johnson also admitted responsibility for the high levels of net migration during his leadership, explaining that inflation and labor shortages drove his decisions. "We faced a huge problem... we didn’t have anyone to stack the shelves, we didn’t have any fuel drivers,” Johnson said, acknowledging that in 2022, his government "opened the doors too wide" in an attempt to manage the economic crisis.

 

Based on a report from The Daily Telegraph 2024-10-12