Poll reveals chances for scandal-plagued Johnson to beat Labour

Former UK leader is the most popular Tory politician but he still wouldn’t beat his political rivals, a Daily Mail survey shows

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson would do better against the Labour Party in an election than any other Tory politician, but would still lose, a poll by the Daily Mail has revealed.

“Boris Johnson retains a level of electoral magnetism far outstripping that of any of his party colleagues – despite the months of scandal, intrigue and infighting that brought down his premiership in the summer,” the paper wrote on Sunday.

Its fresh poll has shown that if speculation about Johnson returning as prime minister materialize and he manages to stay in office until the general election in early 2025, the Labour Party would only be able to gain a 26-seat majority in the parliament as a result of the vote. However, this gap can be well overturned during the election campaign, the Daily Mail pointed out.

If the Conservatives enter the election with Rishi Sunak as their leader, Labour would claim a majority of 124 seats, according to the survey.

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But it would still be much better than if Liz Truss, who resigned on Thursday after just six weeks as PM, was able to stay in her job all the way until the vote. Keir Starmer’s party would’ve achieved a record-breaking 320-seat majority if faced off against her in an election, the poll showed.

Reports of Johnson plotting his return to 10 Downing Street emerged in the media on the same day that Truss announced her resignation. The former prime minister, who was on vacation in the Dominican Republic with his family, flew back to London on Saturday.

Johnson, who had been PM between 2019 and 2022, was forced to step down in early September, following a series of scandals and a wave of resignations in his cabinet. Amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he became one of the most vocal supporters of Kiev in the West, developing a close rapport with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and advocating for the military solution of the crisis.

A YouGov poll on Friday showed that 48% in Britain wanted to see Starmer as head of the government, with Johnson getting the backing of 35% of respondents.