'Boris would've knocked Starmer into orbit...he is the only man that can save this party now'

Conservatives desperate to escape the political wilderness after the summer's nightmare election may have to go on bended knee to Boris Johnson and ask the landslide-winning ex-PM to return, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries tells POLITICAL EDITOR DAVID WILLIAMSON

BORIS Johnson could make a sensational comeback as Tory leader before the next election because no one else can "out-Farage Farage", one of his loyal allies has claimed.

Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries argues the Conservatives would have won in July if the former Prime Minister had not been ousted from office.

She said: "He would have knocked Starmer into orbit. There is no better communicator than Boris Johnson." Ms Dorries says if new leader Kemi Badenoch does not put the party on the path back to Downing Street powerful Conservatives could tell Mr Johnson, "I'm very sorry, we need you back".

She fears his absence from frontline politics has allowed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to take centre stage with dangerous consequences for the Tories.

She told the Sunday Express: "There are red lights flashing on the road ahead which tell us that week by week Nigel Farage is growing on the political stage.