In a dramatic week for the government, the Conservative Party has been thrown into chaos following Liz Truss ' ousting.
Ms Truss had spent just 44 days in office when she announced her departure on October 20, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.
Her resignation came after days of carnage as Home Secretary Suella Braverman stepped down; a fracking vote caused mass confusion in parliament, the party was rocked with claims of "manhandling" and "bullying" and Tory MPs made scathing remarks about Truss' leadership.
Now the party must select a new prime minister yet again, less than two months after the long-running leadership race saw Truss claim victory following Boris Johnson 's resignation back in July.
But speculation is growing that Johnson may be making a bid to return as leader of the Conservative party, and the former PM may have even hinted of his return before Truss was even selected...
How Boris Johnson's resignation speech hinted at comeback
Johnson's biggest hint at making an attempt to return as prime minister came during his speech as he departed No 10.
In his final speech as PM, Johnson likened himself to a Roman leader as he said: “Like Cincinnatus I am returning to my plough.”
It wasn't the first time that Johnson had made reference to Cincinnatus; he'd also previously used the line while he was mayor of London when asked about his ambitions to become prime minister.
The reference in his speech raised some eyebrows as it appeared to be a hint of his return.
Cincinnatus was a 5th century BC Roman leader who returned to work on his farm after saving the state from an invasion. However, Cincinnatus then returned to lead Rome a second time when he was called back to be appointed as a temporary dictator.
Following his final speech, historian Mary Beard made the point on Twitter that while Boris Johnson was likening himself to Cincinnatus, the Roman leader was actually an opponent of the common citizens, named the plebeians, as she tweeted: "He was also an enemy of the people."
While London mayor, Johnson used the comparison in a 2009 interview as he discussed his chances of becoming PM.
He said: “If, like Cincinnatus, I were to be called from my plough, then obviously it would be wrong of me not to help out.”
With Liz Truss' resignation, there's speculation that Johnson could now make an attempt to fulfil his likeness to Cincinnatus, but if he does so the former PM could come up against one problem: the Roman's second term was even shorter than Truss's at just 21 days.
Boris Johnson's Terminator quote
Johnson's Cincinnatus reference wasn't the only eyebrow-raising statement the former PM made before departing No 10.
During his final speech in parliament, Johnson decided to bid farewell by saying "hasta la vista, baby".
The Spanish phrase directly translates to 'goodbye, see you later' and was made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic use of the line in Terminator 2.
But people are now speculating that Johnson may have been hinting at Schwarzenegger's other famous line from the Terminator: "I'll be back."
One person to suggest the link was SNP councillor James Daisley as he tweeted: "Hear me out.. #BorisJohnson said “Hasta la vista baby” when he resigned, which seemed very strange at the time. What he was really doing, was secretly coding another famous Arnie quote… “I’ll be back”.
"He is that narcissistic, that this could actually be true."
'Scrambling' back to the UK
Johnson's latest hint that he could be launching a new leadership bid is his reported return to the UK.
According to The Telegraph, Johnson has begun a "mad scramble" to become prime minister yet again by searching for a way to get back to the UK.
Johnson has been on holiday in the Dominican Republic but is believed to be returning amid Truss' resignation.
Sources have claimed that he will be landing back in the UK on Saturday morning.
One friend said: “He is stuck in the Caribbean. He is trying to get a flight tonight. He is likely but not certain to run.
"He is worried he will not get through the MPs’ rounds but if it does go to the members he knows he has a real chance.”
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