Boris Johnson says standing as MP 'unlikely in short-term' but doesn't rule it out

Boris Johnson has said it is unlikely he will stand as an MP again “in the short term” but also refused to rule out getting involved in front-line politics again.

The former prime minister spoke to an audience at Georgetown University in Washington.

Asked about a potential return, he said: “I think it’s unlikely in the short term. I think the only circumstances in which anybody should stand for election is if they have something to contribute.”

Mr Johnson was MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip until he resigned last year.

At the time he said this move was “for now”, in response to investigations carried out by the Privileges Committee - something Mr Johnson called a “witch hunt”. Almost a year before that, he stood down as prime minister during controversy over how he handled the pandemic.

Much of this was about Downing Street holding “Covid parties” while its regulations stopped people from working, seeing their families or saying goodbye to loved ones who died.

Mr Johnson has called a report into his handling of Covid a “kangaroo court”.

The 59-year-old also spoke to the audience about global politics.

He said that it would be a “catastrophe” if Vladimir Putin was able to seize Kyiv.

Mr Johnson added that he was “praying” Republicans blocking $60billion of funding for Ukraine would allow it to go through.

He said that Putin taking control of Ukraine “would be a reverse bigger than Vietnam because this would be NATO, after 75 years of success, that had failed for the first time in a European war”.