Kelvin MacKenzie is to return to the Sun newspaper as a columnist two decades after standing down as one of the tabloid’s most controversial, but successful, editors.

The paper said politicians should “start quaking” at the return of the “legendary” editor in a twice-weekly column ahead of the general election.

MacKenzie, 68, has previously described the Sun as his “alma mater”. During his time as editor between 1981 and 1994 the paper became the UK’s biggest selling newspaper. During thast time he was responsible for some of the Sun’s most well known headlines – from Gotcha! about the sinking of the Belgrano to “Freddie Starr ate my hamster”.

But he was also responsible for the front page story, headlined “The Truth”, which made false allegations about Liverpool FC fans during the Hillsborough disaster. Sales of the Sun on Merseyside have never recovered, even after the paper’s full page apology in 2004. Many newsagents on Merseyside continue to refuse to stock the newspaper.

Only after the allegations were publicly discredited by an independent panel report in 2012 did MacKenzie offer “profuse apologies” for the story, saying he had been misled by official sources.

It will be his second return to the Sun, having been signed as a columnist in 2005 by then editor Rebekah Wade as a replacement for his protege Richard Littlejohn. During that time MacKenzie cemented his reputation as a tub-thumping rightwinger, with pieces including one suggesting that Scottish people enjoyed spending money but not creating it.

He left in 2011 to join the Daily Mail, writing a column which ended in July 2012 amid growing disquiet among readers as the full truth about Hillsborough emerged. However, MacKenzie told the Guardian he had stopped writing because investors in his online TV channel, Sports Tonight, wanted him to focus on it full-time.

When MacKenzie was dropped by the Daily Telegraph after just one column in 2013 it was again felt to be criticism from sports fans supportive of the Justice for the 96 campaign. “I don’t think any newspaper should employ that man. I don’t even think he should be on the screens of our televisions. National newspapers should know the history of Hillsborough and the people involved. They know he printed that story.”

Since 1994 MacKenzie has enjoyed a short-lived career in TV – where he introduced the news bunny and topless darts – and led a consortium that bought assets including national commercial station Talk Radio.

After revealing that his phone had been hacked, he used his Daily Mail column to joke at the expense of his successors at the Sun mired in the phone-hacking controversy by revealing that his own voicemail message said, “I’m sorry that I am not here right now but do leave a message and Rebekah will get right back to you.”

He has always been less critical of the man he has long called “the boss” at News International. “I know Rupert Murdoch and I know he would have gone ballistic at the very thought of such actions.” Murdoch is understood to be supportive of the new role.

Earlier this year MacKenzie and his son Ashley sold their online video business, Base 79, for an estimated £50m.