The spectacle of the shipwrecked Conservative party is a wonder to behold. Boris Johnson the destroyer will carry on sinking the remains of the galleon he once captained – out of sheer revenge. Cabals of every rightwing complexion include the old bastards of yesteryear – John Redwood still at it – and new red-wallers seeing their brief careers vanish before their eyes. Whipping and dangling ministerial office no longer work as the necessary force holding the party together.
Johnson loyalists may be few, but their noise is amplified by a Tory press infected with the same virus, bewailing his departure. Newly knighted Jacob Rees-Mogg writes in the Mail on Sunday that Johnson is “in pole position for a future leadership contest”. Johnson ally James Duddridge tells the Telegraph, “He will be back. Full stop. As a matter of fact.” Nigel Farage claims he is in talks with Johnson aides to set up a new party to “defend the Brexit legacy”. Jake Berry tweets in fury, “You voted for Brexit – the establishment blocked it. You voted for @BorisJohnson – the establishment has forced him out. Who is in charge here … The voters or the blob?”
