‘Don’t rule it out’ – Osborne hints he’s planning political comeback

GEORGE Osborne opened the door to a political comeback yesterday as he claimed Theresa May would be forced out before the next election.

The former Chancellor – sacked by Mrs May last year – also warned that pro-Remain Tory MPs would force her to soften her stance on Brexit.

He said ‘the votes are not there’ to take Britain out of the EU’s customs union. Mr Osborne stepped down from Parliament at the election this year after landing a job as editor of the London Evening Standard.

But asked by a journalist at a Westminster lunch yesterday if he might return as an MP, Mr Osborne replied: ‘I don’t rule it out... you can be foolish saying never to things.’ He also refused to rule out a possible bid to become the next Tory Mayor of London.

He insisted his attacks on the Prime Minister were not motivated by bitterness but because she was taking the party in the ‘wrong direction’.

He said he had voted for her to become leader even though he knew there was a ‘50:50 chance I would not remain in office’. Mr Osborne remains closely linked to pro-Remain Tory MPs who are trying to frustrate Brexit. Yesterday he predicted they would be successful in preventing the UK from leaving the customs union.

He said the Tories would eventually have to pursue a ‘softer form of Brexit’ and that the PM did not ‘have the votes’ for a harder option.