Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to Britain from a holiday on Saturday to launch a bold political comeback as Conservative leadership rival Rishi Sunak hit the minimum threshold to take Britain’s top job.

Johnson cut short a trip to the Caribbean to join the race to replace outgoing leader Liz Truss, with allies telling British media he was “ready for it”.

The divisive 58-year-old Brexit architect only handed over power in early September, two months after announcing his resignation after a Tory revolt over a series of scandals.

His apparent attempt to return to office just weeks later has already drawn criticism from opposition politicians and even some in his own fragmented ruling party, who argue that both they and the country need stability and unity.

“We have to go forward, not back,” Dominic Raab – Johnson’s deputy prime minister – told Sky News, adding that an upcoming parliamentary inquiry into the ‘Partygate’ scandal that hounded his former boss could prove too distracting.

Raab said former finance minister Sunak’s business experience made him an “outstanding candidate”.

The Tories have been forced into a second, this time accelerated, leadership contest since the summer after Truss dramatically announced on Thursday that she would step down – just 44 stormy days into her tenure.

A catastrophic tax-cut mini-budget followed, unleashing the economic and political turmoil that Sunak had predicted.

Late on Friday, Sunak’s allies in parliament said he had received the nominations of 100 Conservative MPs, the party-set threshold for a candidacy.

However, both Sunak and Johnson have yet to announce they are running, leaving it to allies to signal their intention.

Cabinet member Penny Mordaunt, who narrowly missed the runoff after Johnson’s resignation, was the first to officially declare her candidacy again on Friday.

The 49-year-old said she was running for “a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest”. But she already trails her rivals with dozens of nominations.

In the accelerated contest, the 357 Conservative MPs will vote on all candidates with the 100 nominations on Monday, ahead of a possible online vote by party members later in the week if two remain.

Sunak and Johnson camps are reportedly seeking talks to see if there is scope for a settlement deal – although there has been plenty of bad blood since the former Prime Minister’s defenestration.

Sunak’s resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer in July helped spark the government mutiny that eventually led to Johnson’s ouster.

James Duddridge, one of Johnson’s closest allies in Parliament, said late Friday he had been in touch with his old boss via WhatsApp.

“He said… ‘We’re going to do this. I’m all for it,'” the MP told Sky News after the broadcaster published a photo of what appears to be Johnson on a flight home from the Dominican Republic.

The always ebullient former leader has garnered the support of several Cabinet heavyweights, including Defense Secretary Ben Wallace – a Tory rank and file favorite – who “tends” to back Johnson.

But Wallace noted he still had “some questions to answer” about the myriad controversies that had engulfed his government, leading to the pending House of Commons inquiry.

If Johnson is found guilty of lying to the Commons about “Partygate” – festivities breaching lockdown at Downing Street – Johnson could be suspended or even expelled from Parliament.

As a result of such controversy, Johnson left No10 with dismal poll numbers and other Tories seem appalled at the prospect of his return.

Veteran backbencher Roger Gale warned that Johnson could face a wave of resignations from MPs who refuse to serve under him as leader.

While he remains popular with members who could decide the contest, polls show he remains largely unpopular with voters. A YouGov poll found that 52 percent of voters opposed his comeback.

Another poll also found that three in five voters now want snap general elections, in line with demands from opposition parties, as Britons grapple with a deepening cost of living crisis.

In Sunak’s constituency in Yorkshire, northern England, farmer Elaine Stones, 58, said the party made a mistake in voting for Truss in his place last month.

“He’s honest, reliable and should have been chosen last time,” she told AFP.

But in a sign of party-wide divisions, pensioner Maureen Ward called him a “sneaky man” who helped topple Johnson.

“He wielded the knife and once you’ve done that, you can’t be trusted,” she said.