‘Do you want to turn our party into a skip fire?’: Tory MPs have had it with team Johnson

‘Now Boris Johnson risks yet another investigation if the police decide to pursue one.’ Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

Speak to a Boris Johnson loyalist, and the date of his likely return to No 10 has a habit of slipping. Initially, his supporters talked up this month’s local elections as a moment of peril for Rishi Sunak, that could lead to a Johnson restoration by the autumn. Then it moved to next year’s local elections.

Others now say the moment will come after the next general election. In the face of a Tory loss, Johnson could re-emerge as MPs conclude that ousting him was the moment it all went wrong. As ever with such wargaming, Johnson is keeping his distance, leaving it to his supporters to dream big.