After three years of turbulence, scandal and an extended period of purgatory, prime minister Boris Johnson will finally quit Downing Street on Tuesday, leaving behind a job he had coveted since childhood — but few believe he will fade quietly into political obscurity.
Johnson has told friends he could earn millions in his first year out of office, and his allies believe he could make a comeback once he has, in the words of his ally Lord Jonathan Marland, “put hay in the loft”.
Despite being out of power, Johnson’s allies think that as a backbench Tory MP, with a host of media platforms and a strong and strident base among party activists, he will continue to wield vast influence on British politics.