Tory leadership: Robert Jenrick backs Boris Johnson to return to Cabinet if he becomes PM
Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has said he would “be pleased to welcome” Boris Johnson back into Parliament.
The former Immigration Minister, who is one of six MPs vying to replace Rishi Sunak, said: “The Conservative Party right now needs all of its talent involved.”
He told a Telegraph Q&A: “If Boris wanted to return to Parliament, I would be pleased to welcome him.”
Tory MPs have been calling for the return of the disgraced former Prime Minister even before the historic election defeat on 4 July.
It is understood that this would be almost impossible as an MP despite the 60-year-old resigning before the partygate suspension could be handed down.
The Privileges Committee found that Mr Johnson had deliberately misled Parliament over No10 parties during Covid, and recommended that he be suspended for 90 days.
It said Mr Johnson was “disingenuous” and lied to the Commons over the array of boozy bashes going on in Downing Street during the pandemic. The former Prime Minister resigned before MPs could vote to approve the Privileges Committee’s recommendations, however they later backed the report by 354 votes to seven.
Commons sources have said that should Mr Johnson return as an MP there is a precedent for reimposing the suspension, despite the former PM’s rapid resignation.
Mr Jenrick said he would welcome Mr Johnson around his Cabinet table, should he win the leadership and the next election.
He said: “I think what we need are the best people who are available in the Conservative family to be on the pitch, supporting us to be a strong opposition, holding Keir Starmer to account for all of the failings that we already see, and ultimately winning the next general election. And if Boris wanted to be part of that, I’d be delighted.”
Six candidates are challenging for the leadership – Mr Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Dame Priti Patel – with the winner announced on November 2.
The field will be narrowed to four in time for the Tory conference in the autumn before MPs vote for a final two who will face a ballot of Conservative members.
Ms Badenoch received two major endorsements from MPs on opposite sides of the party.
Ben Spencer, on the left of the Tories, and Gareth Bacon, on the right, came together to say the former Business Secretary says “what’s needed, not what’s easy”.