Boris Johnson's comeback plot is now all but "impossible" after a flurry of former loyalists jumped ship to Reform UK, Nigel Farage's allies have told GB News.
Mr Johnson, who has repeatedly refused to rule out a second bite at the top job, lost yet another loyal ally yesterday when ex-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries confirmed she had crossed the floor.
The former Prime Minister now appears out of lockstep with his closest supporters, leaving him with an even narrower path in any attempt to return as Tory Party leader.
Ms Dorries, whose book The Plot documented the former Prime Minister's downfall, now joins veterans from Mr Johnson's 2019 leadership campaign in Reform's ranks.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Sir Jake Berry and Ross Thomson all played decisive roles in Mr Johnson's 2019 leadership bid, with Adam Holloway later serving as his Assistant Government Whip.
However, Reform UK insiders appear to now believe that the deluge of defections from the Tories has nullified Mr Johnson's comeback hopes.
"The days of Boris Johnson are over, the days of Nigel Farage are here to stay," one Tory defector told GB News.
An ex-ally of Mr Johnson admitted: "It is impossible for Boris to come back, not only because of his record in power, but because he has no friends in the rump that’s left of the parliamentary Conservative Party, which is so entitled, drippy and wet that it’s no longer a party of the right."
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Nadine Dorries was a loyal supporter of Boris Johnson throughout his time in Parliament
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"The Boris comeback is dead," a third source bluntly added.
GB News revealed that allies had been urging Mr Johnson to consider a return to frontline politics in February.
The People's Channel later disclosed that Reform UK insiders were confident any path to Mr Johnson had been all but blocked by the rapid growth of Mr Farage's campaign machine and double-digit leads in the opinion polls.
However, the spectre of Mr Johnson's potential return continues to raise eyebrows, particularly with Kemi Badenoch's support falling to as low as 15 per cent.
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage last night welcomed Nadine Dorries following her defection
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Speaking to GB News last week, Mr Johnson pointed out that Reform UK was polling near zero per cent when he was Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson also defiantly reiterated that he believes the Tories would have won the 2024 General Election if he had not been ousted from No10 in a Cabinet cabal in the summer of 2022.
Despite several former allies switching to Reform UK, the ex-Prime Minister's loyalist supporters urge against writing off Mr Johnson.
“I wouldn’t rule out anything with Boris," an ex-Cabinet Minister told GB News.
The remaining ex-Tory MPs who have joined Reform UK: Lee Anderson, Lucy Allan, Mark Reckless, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Aidan Burley, Marco Longhi, David Jones, Ross Thomson, Anne-Marie Morris, Sir Jake Berry and Adam Holloway
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A top Tory added: "I don’t think it means it’s over for Boris. Nadine has just personally run out of road with the Conservative Party."
However, following the Tory Party's catastrophic result in the 2024 General Election, Mr Johnson's faint path back to power became even narrower.
A large number of Mr Johnson's long-standing allies vacated the House of Commons ahead of polls opening, including ex-Asia Minister Nigel Adams.
And with many now defecting to Reform UK, the former Prime Minister is losing the essential foot soldiers needed to launch a comeback.
Nigel Farage has said that Reform UK will not accept all ex-MPs wanting to join
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Allies of Mr Farage also believe Mr Johnson's handling of the migrant crisis inflicted irreparable damage on any distant comeback hopes.
"His failures on immigration are such an electoral toxin that even his loyal foot soldiers are now abandoning him," one friend of the Reform UK leader told GB News.
"It is a worthy condemnation of Johnson, that those who once cried on his behalf, now turn their back on him and the politics of betrayal which he will forever embody."
Polling guru Scarlett Maguire also suggested Ms Dorries's defection could call time on those hoping for Mr Johnson to return as Tory leader.
"Johnson loyalists, including Dorries joining Reform, show that Reform have all the political momentum on the right of British politics, and only undermines any idea of a Johnson comeback further," the Merlin Strategy founder told GB News.
Despite the potential blow to Mr Johnson's comeback hopes, Mr Farage has been warned against accepting an endless number of ex-Tory MPs.
Nadine Dorries is the 12th former Tory MP to join Reform UK
| PAGB News last month revealed that more former Tory MPs were considering jumping ship after CCHQ tightened its candidacy rules and penned a "daft", "dreadful", "tactless" and "offensive" letter to those thinking about re-applying to contest in the next General Election.
Reform UK insiders dismissed the idea that Mr Farage would enlist the support of "deadbeat Tories" and stressed "very few sitting or past Tory MPs who would really be welcome".
However, a top Tory dismissed Dorries's defection last night, telling GB News: "Nadine is a nobody."
A Labour Party spokesman added: “Nadine Dorries says the Tory Party is dead - as one of the people who helped to kill it, she should know”
Nigel Farage is preparing to address Reform UK's annual conference in Birmingham
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Despite being dismissed by her former rivals, Ms Dorries described her defection as an "agonising" process.
The ex-Mid Bedfordshire MP told The Daily Mail: “My decision to leave the party I’ve served for more than 30 years is possibly the most difficult I’ve ever had to make, and it has taken me 12 agonising months to reach.”
Ms Dorries added: "The Conservative Party cannot win the next election. It removes election-winning prime ministers, and replaces them with duds.”
Welcoming Ms Dorries to Reform UK, Mr Farage said: “She is a hugely successful politician, author and columnist and will be a great boost to our campaign to win the next General Election.”
GB News has approached Mr Johnson for comment.