What are the odds of Bojo making comeback as opposition leader after the election? Or has he already joined the exodus?
When they lose this election, the Tories will inevitably engage in several years of infighting, meaning that they are likely to lose the next election as well. As happened when the long-term Thatcher/Major government were booted out (and similarly the long-term Blair/Brown government). Whoever replaces Sunak will be doomed to oblivion, as happened to the immediate successors to Major and Brown, which is why no-one stood against Sunak after the local elections. Bojo would be a fool to stand again for leader now - better to wait until the infighting has stopped, and the Tories look electable again.
Bojo is deeply divisive for the Tory party, much like Thatcher was after she was toppled. There are those who idolise him, and those who see him as a liability. However, people have short memories, and if the Tories lose enough elections, and get desperate enough, I could see them turning to him again.
I am waiting to see what Gove does. If he stands, he is bound to lose, as the Bojo fan-club will never accept him. But he may calculate that if he stands, and then graciously makes way for the preferred candidate, he may get a reasonably plum job in return, enabling him to keep a relatively high public profile. Whereas if he doesn't stand, he will probably sink from sight.
