Boris Johnson: What next for former prime minister as he hints at Westminster comeback

Boris Johnson has delivered his final speech as prime minister, but does he truly believe his political career at the highest level is officially over?

Less than three years into a term aided by a sweeping majority his leadership delivered, Mr Johnson bid farewell after a series of scandals of his own making.

The former prime minister attended parties he denied happened, appointed a man he knew had been accused of sexual harassment as a whip, and rewrote the rules to protect former MP Owen Paterson for breaching lobbying rules.

The latter sparked a drip-feed that became a deluge of sleaze stories which helped end his premiership, with the Tories subsequently collapsing in the polls.

Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the media outside 10 Downing Street.

Listening to his speech, however, Mr Johnson did not seem to realise it was over. He not only blamed others for his downfall, but hinted strongly at a political comeback.

The outgoing prime minister compared himself to Cincinnatus, a Roman statesman, as he hinted at intending to fade quietly into the background – at least for now.

He said: “Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough and I will be offering this Government nothing, but the most fervent support.”

Quinctius Cincinnatus is said to have left Rome to relax on his farm, only to later be called upon to return where he led as a dictator – a detail that will not have been lost on Mr Johnson.

It was also not his first mention of the senator, having previously brought up Cincinnatus when asked about being prime minister in both 2008 and 2009.

The outgoing prime minister knows the Roman figure’s history, and many within and outside of the Tory party will view this as a not-so-subtle hint about hopes of one day returning.

Having been sacked from multiple jobs before for lying, Mr Johnson has form when it comes to making a comeback.

In a sign of lingering resentment at the manner in which he was forced out, the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip also lashed out at those who moved against him.

He said: “In only a couple of hours I will be in Balmoral to see Her Majesty, the Queen and the torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader.

“The baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race. They changed the rules halfway through, but never mind that now.”

His comments appeared to hint at bitterness, of being a wronged party rather than a leader caught out backtracking on knowledge of accusations against Chris Pincher – the former Tory deputy chief whip who was the focus of sexual misconduct allegations.

Mr Johnson also said his career was now like a booster rocket “that has fulfilled its function and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific”.

It would be easy to draw parallels between his rewritten version of being ousted with that of US president Donald Trump – a man Mr Johnson repeatedly said he enjoyed a “good relationship” with.

But the only real comparison is there would appear to be a clear path back for both men in time, with the respective leaders in both the US and the UK – Joe Biden and Liz Truss respectively – facing difficult situations with not much time to fix them.

In the meantime, Mr Johnson promised his most “fervent support” to the UK Government, and called for the Tories to unite behind their new leader at a “tough time for the economy”.

He said: “I say to my fellow Conservatives, it’s time for politics to be over, folks.

“It’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team, and her programme, and deliver for the people of this country.

“Because that is what the people of this country want. That’s what they need. And that’s what they deserve.”

Mr Johnson added that if Dilyn the dog and Larry, the No 10 cat, “can put behind them their occasional difficulties, then so can the Conservative Party”.

That Mr Johnson made these comments in the same speech where he hinted at a comeback was not lost on those in Westminster.

Then there was the inevitable lauding of his own achievements – a tactic used at Prime Minister’s Questions in the final weeks before announcing his own resignation as his party moved against him.

He made a series of claims on delivering on manifesto pledges, again with variable levels of truth.

Mr Johnson said there "13,790 more police on the street", which is true, but does not include the 20,545 officers that were cut under Tory governments.

He also incorrectly claimed to have delivered 40 new hospitals and 50,000 nurses, while again declaring his government had “got Brexit done".

Mr Johnson said: “I’m proud to have discharged the promises I made to my party when you were kind enough to choose me, winning the biggest majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

“Delivering Brexit, delivering our manifesto commitments, including, by the way … social care, reforming social care, helping people up and down the country, ensuring that Britain is once again standing tall in the world.”

Then there is Scotland, with the self-appointed former Minister for the Union saying those wishing to break it up will “never, ever succeed”.

Mr Johnson’s comments come with the UK Government facing a Supreme Court battle with Nicola Sturgeon’s Government next month.

The former prime minister made no mention of policy in Scotland, nor any real achievements, instead just stressing his vague belief in it.

Mr Johnson is far too big a personality to just reside on the backbenches, and plainly knows it.

He is likely to make the money he complained he couldn’t now he’s out of the top job, and then bide his time for an attempted comeback.