New pictures of Boris Johnson spotted on family day out at zoo with Carrie and little Wilf

Boris Johnson has been spotted enjoying a family outing days after ending his dramatic comeback bid. The former PM visited Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury with his family yesterday.

Mr Johnson was snapped travelling around the attraction on a buggy with his mini-me son Wilfred.

The ex-Prime Minister was smart casual in brown trousers, a white shirt and black jacket.

Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie is head of communications for the Aspinall Foundation, which runs Howletts.

Jenny Wingrove, from Maidstone, Kent, was stunned to spot the ex-Prime Minister while visiting the zoo with her three children.

She said he appeared to be having his own private safari tour around the park.

The 32-year-old said: “I’m pretty sure it was Damian Aspinall [chair of the foundation] driving him around Howletts.

“The kids were really excited to see him. We were looking at the monkeys when he came down on the buggy.

“They stopped and showed his little one the monkeys – everyone was quite shocked to see him.

“The kids asked if he was Boris Johnson and he said ‘yes I am!’. We were all in shock to be honest – it’s not what you expect.

“I don’t think he wanted the attention. He was just enjoying some time with his little one.”

It comes days after Mr Johnson ended his sensational comeback bid which came just seven weeks after leaving Downing Street in the wake of a series of scandals.

The charismatic 58-year-old sent speculation of a return to No 10 into overdrive when he raced back from a family holiday in the Caribbean last Saturday following Liz Truss’s resignation.

But late on Sunday he admitted he could not unite his warring party despite reaching the threshold of 100 nominations from fellow MPs.

Mr Johnson, who led the Tories to their biggest election landslide in 2019, said he has “much to offer” but it was “simply not the right time”.

He said: “I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.

“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday.”

Mr Johnson closed his statement by saying: “I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

The ex-PM, who never officially entered the race, paved the way for Rishi Sunak to become PM by ruling himself out.