Boris Johnson will want to make a sensational comeback to “prove his enemies wrong”, according to his unofficial biographer.
Tom Bower said the former Prime Minister will be “extraordinarily bruised” and “absolutely incandescent” in the wake of his exit from Parliament over the Privileges Committee’s Partygate report.
But Mr Bower insisted the charismatic 58-year-old, who was found to have deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties in Downing Street, could still make a return.
He said: “I think that he clearly wants to come back.
“He’ll want to prove his enemies wrong, he’ll want to prove that he has a role in British politics and that he was wrongly treated.”
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The investigative journalist said there is no clear successor to Rishi Sunak if the Conservatives lose power at the next general election.
Mr Bower said: “He’ll always have a constituency who supports him and he’ll always have the hunger to come back to Parliament.
“If the Tories lose there’s no obvious successor for Rishi at all.
“And he would have been someone to rebuild the party in a way but he’s now put himself increasingly beyond the pale, that’s the misfortune.
“The truth is he’s allowed his enemies to not only bury him but cremate him at the same time. They want to prevent his resurrection but he’ll try and defy them.”
But Mr Bower warned any comeback will be off if Mr Johnson – who is penning a memoir about his time in No 10 – is critical of the Conservatives.
The biographer, who has also written books on Sir Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn, said: “There’s just no obvious leader in the Tory Party to rebuild the party if it is defeated.
“But if he doesn’t shut up and is continuously disloyal he’ll be blamed for whatever horror hits the party next year and then he’ll have no chance of coming back.
“So he’s first got to show loyalty and be silent and supportive. If he brings out his memoirs before the election which are critical of the party then it’s all over.”
The author of Boris Johnson: The Gambler said the question of whether he can return before the next election is “less likely”.
But he added that the ex-premier is “still very young”, saying: “I mean in five years he could still make a comeback.”
Mr Johnson vowed to loyal Daily Express readers “I’ll be back” following his dramatic resignation as an MP earlier this month.
In a furious statement on Thursday when the Privileges Committee’s report was released, he lashed out at the “deranged” findings that are “intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”.
