Khairy, a former Umno Youth chief and three-term Rembau MP, was sacked from Umno in January 2023 for alleged breach of party discipline during the 15th general election (GE15).

Several Umno leaders have since commented on Khairy’s possible return, with Bung yesterday cautioning him not to “come in and then leave again” if he rejoins Umno.

“Let me be perfectly clear: I never left Umno. You guys expelled me,” Khairy said on Instagram.

“Please don’t try to rewrite history,” he added, noting that there were numerous online news reports confirming his expulsion.

Khairy included a screenshot of a news report quoting Bung as saying that while Umno had no issue with Khairy’s return, he should remain committed to the party if he rejoins.

The former health minister also said he would take a few weeks before addressing speculation about his return to Umno.

Khairy had been openly critical of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the lead-up to GE15, particularly after Barisan Nasional (BN) fielded him in the Pakatan Harapan stronghold of Sungai Buloh.

He lost the contest to PKR’s R Ramanan by 2,693 votes.

Khairy urged Zahid to step down as Umno president after BN’s weak performance in GE15, its worst in an election thus far.

He later refused to appeal his sacking, saying it was pointless since the same people who wanted him out were still in the party.

However, in July, he said he would “think about” Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s offer to help facilitate his return.

Since leaving politics, Khairy has pivoted to media and business.

He co-hosts the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast with Shahril Hamdan, is a presenter on Hot FM, and has taken on several speaking and business engagements.