A New Zealand-born former UK MP thinks Boris Johnson is biding his time until making a play to re-establish himself as Prime Minister.
It comes after a dramatic and wild 48 hours, which saw over 50 ministers quit, eventually forcing Johnson to bow to pressure and announce his resignation as Prime Minister.
"Today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place," Johnson said outside his Downing Street office where his speech was watched by close allies and his wife Carrie.
"I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them's the breaks," he added, making no apology for the events that forced his announcement.
Johnson has pledged to stay on as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen, which could be weeks or months away.
Bryan Gould, who was a UK Labour Party MP from 1974 to 1979, and again from 1983 to 1994 and stood unsuccessfully for the party leadership in 1992, isn't convinced Johnson will leave Downing Street quietly.
"I think there has to be a substantial question mark over that given what we know of Boris [Johnson] and his record," he told AM co-host Melissa Chan-Green.
"I think there will be a good deal of nervousness on the Tory backbenchers and the Tory Party as a whole as to quite what his long-term plan might be.
Gould believes Johnson could make another run as Prime Minister later in the year once the Conservative Party holds its leadership contest.
"I suspect people will worry that he is going to sit there for a while and wait to see what happens in a new leadership contest," he said.
"If he's not impressed and he thinks other people won't be impressed by the options available or if a new leader is arrived at and doesn't look very strong, I suspect people will worry he'll say, 'now you've got a proper choice between X and me, so let's have another go'.
"I think until a stake is driven through his heart, people will think he's likely to attempt a comeback."
Fellow AM co-host Ryan Bridge asked Gould if Johnson is playing a political game given the fact all he's done is hold a press conference stating his intentions to resign.
"I think people - including his friends and critics - are going to wake up to that fact pretty quickly," Gould told AM.
"He is still there in Downing Street, he is still the Prime Minister and he will hold onto that position I think until he sees an opportunity to establish himself, that has to be his strategy.
"Knowing Boris slightly as I do, I wouldn't put it past him to have that exactly in mind."
Watch the full interview with Bryan Gould above.
