Boris Johnson’s return to the Tory Party helm is a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’, according to the Telegraph’s Iain Dale.
New polling gives Labour a 29-point lead over The Conservatives, finding they would swoop into power with 50 per cent of the overall vote if an election was held tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party was on just 21 per cent, down by one point on the previous week.
It could leave them as Britain’s third party, according to recent forecasts, returning just 45 seats in parliament compared to the SNP’s 50.
Commenting on the demise of the party, Dale said former leader Johnson could soon be a shoo-in for Rishi Sunak’s replacement as panic sets in.
“Several Tory MPs in Labour-facing seats have told me this weekend that on the doorstep there are growing numbers of people who insist they will only vote Tory if Boris is leading them,” he said.
“However much the salons of Islington and Camden don’t understand Johnson’s appeal, there is little doubt in my mind that if MPs think mitigating the scale of defeat at the next election is the priority, then replacing Sunak with Johnson has a logic to it, even if long term they would rue the day.”
Related: Lee Anderson faces calls to resign over links to ‘white supremacists’
