Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is returning to Britain in an audacious bid to win a second term as prime minister just weeks after he was forced to step down, amid warnings from some of his colleagues that his return could cause further political chaos.

And in a frantic start to the week, potential candidates to succeed Prime Minister Liz Terrace, who resigned dramatically on Thursday after just six weeks in power, scrambled to secure enough support to vie for the party leadership before Monday's deadline.

Johnson, who was vacationing in the Caribbean when Truss resigned and has made no statement about an offer to restore his previous position, has the support of dozens of Conservative lawmakers but needs to secure 100 nominations to compete.

Commerce Secretary James Dodridge said on Friday that Johnson had told him he was "ready" and that the former leader would return to Britain on Saturday.

The prospect of Johnson returning to government is a polarizing issue for many in the deeply divided Conservative Party, after four successive prime ministers in six years.

Sunak gets the support of more than 100 deputies to run for office

In turn, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak obtained the minimum number of votes required to run for the position of Conservative Party leader, after the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Terrace, which increases his chances of reaching the post of prime minister.

"I am honored to be the 100th Tory MP who supports Rishi," senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood wrote on Twitter, followed by other supporters who confirmed Sunak's 100th mark.

The former Treasury Secretary has re-emerged as a candidate with strong chances of taking the position, according to polls within the ruling party.

Sunak will automatically become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, when his rivals fail in their bid to win 100 nominations from their fellow Conservatives in Parliament.

And the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Penny Mordaunt, announced - Friday - her candidacy to succeed Terrace, while the hypothesis of Boris Johnson's return to power began to strengthen, with him receiving increasing support within the Conservative Party.

The fifth - expected - candidate is the current Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who enjoys wide respect and popularity within the Conservative Party, were it not for his economic plan based on austerity may not be attractive on both the party and popular levels.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who is backed by a large number of party members, told reporters that he did not intend to run, adding that Johnson was the only potential leader with electoral legitimacy at the level of the United Kingdom, after leading the Conservatives to a landslide victory over Labor in the general elections. 2019.

Sunak and Johnson have yet to officially announce their candidacy, and they are widely expected to join the competition with Mordaunt.

On Thursday, the Terrace announced her resignation after just 44 days in office, as a poll conducted by the YouGov Institute showed that 79% of Britons believed she was right to resign, while 64% described her as a "bad" prime minister.

The poll also revealed that 3 out of 5 voters want early general elections, in line with the anger of the opposition parties at a time when citizens are facing difficulties with the exacerbation of the cost of living crisis.

Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said Britain "couldn't run another trial" after his term, adding: "This is not just a long run in the leadership of the Conservative Party, it is doing a lot of damage to our country's reputation."

Calling an early election is a demand of the British Labor Party, as well as of the Scottish National Party, which leads the government in Scotland.