After a series of open revolts by his backbenchers – the last so powerful that it overwhelmed his government’s ability to withstand it – and having executed a variety of hand-brake turns, U-turns, and very nearly leaving the highway altogether, the prime minister finds himself at a fork in the road.
Behind him is a milestone that reads “2 July 2024. The first Labour election victory since 2005.” Ahead of him, two routes. One, bearing left, is a dead end, as he must surely realise. He cannot carry on as he has in recent weeks, relegated to being a back-seat passenger with a succession of backbench rebels grabbing at the wheel.
