Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to have privately expressed a desire to “wipe away” his resignation and return to Downing Street.
Mr Johnson told Tory peer Lord Cruddas that he “does not want to resign” and wishes he could “wipe away his departure.” The news comes amid a growing movement within the Conservative Party to keep the embattled Prime Minister in office.
Lord Cruddas has been campaigning to keep the Prime Minister in office. According to reports, the pair discussed the “bring back Boris” campaign with the party’s grassroots supporters to determine whether the membership believes he should resign.
In just one week, over 10,000 party members have backed the campaign.
“There was no ambiguity in Boris’s views. He definitely does not want to resign. He wants to carry on and he believes that, with the membership behind him, he can,” Lord Cruddas said.
The number of signatures has received over 2,000 per day, and Lord Cruddas confirmed that the campaign collected membership numbers when members signed in order to weed out any forgeries.
“He said he understood the membership’s outrage at what had happened, that he wished he could continue as Prime Minister, and that he does not want to resign.”
The Prime Minister also reportedly told Lord Cruddas that if a General Election were held tomorrow, he would win.
“He has taken inspiration from my campaign, and he hopes that there will be a way for him to remain Prime Minister, and he believes that the Conservative Party will make a big mistake if they ignore the wishes of its membership,” Lord Cruddas added.