Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed claims that Boris Johnson will stage a Winston Churchill style comeback.
The brexiteer, who is one of Johnson’s staunchest supporters, said it was not “realistic” to think Johnson could make a return to No.10.
Rees-Mogg said that “life just isn’t like that” and that no-one had come back having lost the party leadership since Gladstone.
Johnson was forced to resign last month but hinted he might attempt a comeback by suggesting “mission largely accomplished - for now” during his last appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Rees-Mogg, minister for Brexit opportunities, told GB News: “Nobody’s come back having lost the leadership of the party since Gladstone.
“And I just don’t think in modern politics the chance of coming back is realistic.
“Lots of people think they’re going to be called back by a grateful nation which is why Harold MacMillan waited 20 years before accepting his peerage...life just isn’t like that.”
Asked if he thought Johnson would stay on as an MP, Rees-Mogg said he did not know and it was “difficult decision” to make.
However, The Sunday Mirror reported that Johnson and his allies are plotting a return to No.10 before the next election if Liz Truss “implodes” as prime minister.
A well-placed Westminster insider told the paper Johnson is determined to make a comeback.
“It sounds far-fetched but I wouldn’t put it past him. He feels hard done by and thinks he still had a lot to do,” one source said.