Is May in line for shock comeback?

BORIS JOHNSON may have a rival if it comes to an ousted Prime Minister returning to lead the Conservatives: Theresa May.

Despite leading her party to a humiliating General Election result in 2017, Mrs May emerged last night as a potential ‘save the Tories’ replacement for Liz Truss.

One Government Minister told The Mail on Sunday that Mrs May, pictured, could yet return to help limit the party’s losses at the next election.

On getting the Conservatives back to within eight polling points of Labour, the Minister said: ‘You can’t rule Theresa May out.’

One poll last week gave Sir Keir Starmer’s party a massive 34-point lead over Ms Truss.

However, other Tory MPs dismissed as ‘nonsense’ the idea that Mrs May – who was forced to step down in June 2019 – could yet return to the top job.

They pointed out that the former Prime Minister had called the snap election in 2017 which ended with the party losing its small Commons majority and almost letting hard-Left Labour candidate Jeremy Corbyn into power.

The contrast with Mr Johnson’s landslide 2019 win – which left the Tories with a majority of 80 seats in the Commons – could hardly be greater, they said.

The suggestion comes after Tory MPs plotting to get rid of Ms Truss reportedly discussed appealing to Mrs May and other ex-leaders, including David Cameron and Sir John Major, to make an unprecedented joint intervention to ease the Prime Minister out.

Last night, sources close to Mrs May said she had received no approaches to consider returning to Downing Street.