Member-only story
The weaker pound had not caused it. The destruction of the original budget in its entirety didn’t work. It was not accomplished by a total breakdown of party discipline that resulted in MPs swearing at one another and others crying. Even Liz Truss’ resignation, which made her by far the shortest serving prime minister in Britain, was insufficient.
Perhaps the thought of Johnson’s comeback should have been the logical next step following Truss’s terrible demise in the crisis-ridden psychodrama that is modern British politics.
However, a number of MPs said that it would only result in divisions and the downfall of the government and the Conservative party — and may even be the only thing that might trigger a general election, which would undoubtedly be disastrous for the Tories.
Johnson’s lobbying effort was “extremely swift and very aggressive,” according to one cabinet member. Senior people were approached early in the race with the goal of gaining as many public supporters as possible to persuade skeptics that it was now rational to imagine the impossible and restore a leader who had been ousted just months earlier for being unable to avoid controversy and difficulties.
Every strategy was employed in an effort to gain an early boost in support that would give the movement momentum. Johnson was willing to…
