BoJo Hustles for Work

Borexit update: The outgoing British P.M. isn’t likely to remain on the sidelines, quietly wishing his successor—whoever it is—all the best. Stories like the delicately worded one in The Guardian that Boris Johnson “has failed to deny claims by Rishi Sunak that he is refusing to take calls from his former chancellor” suggest that the idea of even having a successor doesn’t hold much appeal—not for Johnson and not, strangely, for his own Conservative Party, even though they ousted him. With Johnson easily outpolling both Sunak and Liz Truss as the favorite to lead the party and the nation, The Guardian reported Johnson is “less than enthusiastic” about collaborating with either.

But until BoJo’s inevitable comeback attempt, he needs to do something, and what exactly that might be must have been on his mind in recent weeks, during which he was spotted kicking back at a spa in Slovenia and then at a supermarket outside Athens. A return to writing for the Daily Telegraph is unlikely; they’ve been mean to him. However, “multiple sources at the Daily Mail have said Johnson has been approached about writing a column for the paper when he leaves Downing Street. Such an arrangement could cement the close links between the prime minister and the Mail titles—with potential benefits for all involved. There has been continued speculation that Johnson is preparing to give a peerage to Paul Dacre—the editor-in-chief of the Daily Mail’s parent company—in his resignation honours list,” noted The Guardian. “At the same time, the prime minister is looking for new sources of income, as his salary will halve to £84,000 [$100,000] when he leaves office. He is also dealing with the aftermath of an expensive divorce and the cost of supporting multiple children.”