Boris Johnson's allies are pushing for the scandal-hit ex-Prime Minister to mount a political comeback - only months after he was forced out of office by his own MPs.
Mr Johnson would have to get 100 Tories to back him to even get onto the ballot paper but speculation is growing that the chillaxing ex-PM, who is jetting back from a Caribbean holiday, may hit that threshold.
The ex-PM is said to be telling MPs that he is their only chance of avoiding electoral wipe-out as Labour surges in the polls.
But panicking Tories, scarred by Liz Truss's chaos-ridden stint in No10, seem to have forgotten that Mr Johnson's own time in office was riddled with turmoil and sleaze.
More than 100 Conservative MPs called for him to quit and the Cabinet resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid triggered mass departures from Government ministers.
When Mr Johnson finally resigned on July 7, he hinted at a comeback in an unrepentant speech, saying "Hasta la vista baby" and comparing himself Roman statesman Cincinnatus who returned as a dictator.
There are significant hurdles ahead if Mr Johnson did return to power. He faces a looming Commons probe over whether he lied to Parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street, which could see him expelled from Parliament.
No10 has already reportedly handed over documents, emails, pictures and messages to the Commons Privileges Committee.
One insider told The Sun: “Boris is screwed.”
There's also the Covid inquiry into the Government's handling of the pandemic, which is expected to call Mr Johnson and other top Tories to give evidence next year.
So here's a handy reminder of some of the scandals that brought down Boris Johnson - in case Tory MPs have forgotten.
Pincher
The straw that broke the camel's back for many Tories was Boris Johnson's botched handling of complaints against Tory Chris Pincher.
Mr Pincher resigned as Deputy Chief Whip in June after allegations emerged that he had groped two men. Mr Johnson came under intense pressure to suspend him from the party, but he initially retained the Tory whip.
However there was a U-turn on the decision the next day and he lost the whip.
Events spiralled further out of control after No10 claimed the PM was not aware of any "specific allegations" when he made Mr Pincher deputy chief whip - a line repeated by Tory ministers.
But former Foreign Office chief Sir Simon McDonald broke ranks to suggest No10 was lying and the PM was made aware of a separate claim of alleged wrongdoing by Mr Pincher in 2019.
Two days later the Prime Minister resigned.
Partygate
Boris Johnson was dogged with questions about the Partygate saga after the Mirror revealed a string of lockdown-flouting parties were held in Downing Street and Whitehall.
He became the first Prime Minister to be fined by police while in office, when he was hit by a £50 fixed penalty notice for attending his birthday party on 19 June 2020, in breach of Covid laws.
Scotland Yard issued 126 Partygate fines to 83 individuals, including to the PM, his wife Carrie and the-then Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Whitehall enforcer Sue Gray also wrote an excoriating report into the saga, detailing the wine on the walls, vomiting, a fight, a “back exit” cover-up, prior planning of parties, and a “lack of respect” for cleaners and security staff.
And she demanded Boris Johnson “bear responsibility” for what happened.
Mr Johnson was also accused of lying to Parliament about what was going on, which is a serious offence.
The Commons Privileges Committee is investigating whether he misled MPs when he said no rules were broken in No10 - despite evidence to the contrary from Ms Gray's report and the police probe.
Downing Street spent months trying to downplay his involvement and denying the Mirror's reporting on the scandal.
Pandemic
Boris Johnson's pandemic record is divisive - and he will have to defend it before the independent Covid inquiry, possibly next summer.
While he gained plaudits for the speed of the vaccine rollout, he was accused of locking down too late - or too aggressively, depending on viewpoint.
Former top aide Dominic Cummings claimed "tens of thousands of people died, who didn't need to die" because the ex-PM was too slow to bring in Covid restrictions.
He reportedly declared he would rather "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" than call another lockdown in the autumn of 2020.
No10 dismissed the claim but former top aide Dominic Cummings - who became a ferocious critic of Mr Johnson - said he had heard the words.
Mr Johnson refused to sack Mr Cummings in May 2020, after the Mirror revealed he had travelled to Durham during the first lockdown, including the famous trip to Barnard Castle.
Mr Cummings quit in November of that year after reports of clashes with Carrie Johnson - and later became Mr Johnson's most vicious critic.
Paterson
Boris Johnson ordered Tory MPs to rip up ethics rules and block a 30-day suspension of former minister Owen Paterson for lobbying breaches.
The vote passed the Commons but more than 100 Conservatives rebelled and Labour accused the Government of corruption.
Mr Johnson U-turned less than 24 hours later, as Labour boycotted the body which would have drawn up new standards.
Mr Paterson later resigned as a Tory MP, resulting a massive by-election upset by the Liberal Democrats in his North Shropshire seat last December.
Paintjob
Boris Johnson was dogged by questions over the lavish makeover of his Downing Street flat.
The then Prime Minister came under for trying to get Tory donor Lord Brownlow to fund the £110,000-plus revamp before the resulting media storm ended in him settling the bill himself.
Stories dripped out for weeks over the spiralling costs of the refurb of the No11 flat - in a row dubbed "Wallpapergate" due to reports Carrie Johnson had bought gold wallpaper from upmarket designer Lulu Lytle at £840 a roll.
The Tory Party was later fined £17,800 by the Electoral Commission for breaching electoral law over the way the money was recorded.
Mr Johnson got into a row with his ethics advisor Lord Geidt after key texts which showed the PM asking for more cash - and promising to raise Lord Brownlow’s idea of a Great Exhibition 2.0 in return - were withheld.
Lord Geidt stayed on after that row but then quit in June - the second ethics chief to resign on Boris Johnson's watch.
