Boris Johnson, not known for his humility, signed off as Prime Minister with a characteristic bullish flourish that hinted that he wasn’t quite finished.

Invoking a robotic cyborg from a sci-fi fantasy film may have gone over the heads of Conservative MPs unfamiliar with the Terminator cinematic franchise.

But ending his statement with the infamous pay-off line uttered by the robot played by Arnold Schwarzenegger – ‘hasta la vista, baby’ – was a not-so-subtle hint that he just might try a political comeback.

Perhaps Boris was attracted by the storyline of Terminator that sees all of humanity saved thanks to the robotic assassin who has some nifty powers to travel back in time.

Either way, his use of the iconic catchphrase was a novel idea. If he does choose to stage a return, no doubt opponents will adapt the tagline of another horror movie: ‘Be afraid, very afraid.’

Gone fishing or just missing? What is it with ministers and their unwillingness to be quizzed about their policies?

Home Secretary Priti Patel was scheduled to be probed by MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee about the plan to send would-be asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their applications processed.

The minister chose not to appear but as to why, it was anyone’s guess.

Perhaps she had been made aware that a High Court hearing on the legality of the process would reveal the Foreign Office had advised against the government sending migrants to Rwanda over human rights concerns.

Either way, the committee issued its own report that was circumspect about the policy’s effectiveness on curbing the numbers crossing the Channel – although given that the policy is yet to get off the ground, the evidence is slim.

In another blow to the government’s credibility, figures obtained by the Refugee Council revealed the number of asylum seekers “languishing” in hotels almost trebled during the course of last year.

Home Office data obtained by the charity showed by December more than 200 hotels were in use and around 10% (about 2,500) of those staying in them were children.

It may have ended in defeat but when it came to the most eye-catching campaign, Tom Tugendhat’s tilt at the contest to lead the Conservative party and become Prime Minister ‘won’ hands down.

Presenting himself as the change candidate was a neat move, aimed at resonating with disaffected voters and distancing himself from the ‘old’ regime.

He batted away criticisms of his lack of experience in government, retorting that he had a decade-long spell in the Army, serving and leading in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That he got as far as he did surprised some.

Maybe there will be another chance – given the rate at which the Conservative party switches leaders, the door to Number 10 may still be ajar.