Boris Johnson will not stand as an MP in the election, friends of the former prime minister say

Boris Johnson was MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015 until last year. Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley, The Telegraph

Friends of the former prime minister believe Boris Johnson is unlikely to stand as an MP again in the upcoming election.

Some of Johnson's supporters wanted him to returned after he stepped down last year following the Partygate investigation.

But friends told The Telegraph on Thursday it was unlikely to happen, with one saying: “I think 100 [per cent] not!”

Another said: “I I seriously doubt it. He doesn't want to.”

However, Johnson does not yet categorically rule out a return. A near-record number of Tory MPs are withdrawing from the next election, with five announcing on Thursday they will not contest their seats on July 4. This means an attractive safe seat could become available at short notice.

Lord Cameron will also not stand as an MP, the source said.

The former prime minister resigned as Witney MP in 2016, just months after he lost the Brexit referendum vote. But he returned to the political frontline last November when Rishi Sunak appointed him foreign secretary and gave him a seat in the House of Lords. This means he can still have a seat in Parliament without being an MP.

Mr Johnson quit his Uxbridge constituency in June last year, accusing the House of Commons Privileges Committee of organizing against him » witch hunts.»

p> Mr Johnson stepped down as prime minister in 2022 and as an MP a year later. Photo: Geoff Gilbert

The committee recommended that he be suspended for 90 days for deliberately misleading the House of Commons about blocking parties at Number 10.

This would have given his constituents in Uxbridge the chance to petition to recall him, leading to a by-election, which he may have lost.

However, after he resigned, the Conservative candidate who succeeded him, defied the pundits and won the by-election.

This has given some of his supporters hope that he will soon return to the House of Commons and perhaps become Conservative leader again after losing the election.