Conservative MPs, peers, donors, hacks and activists caper their way towards an open grave, with Johnson himself leading the procession. The dance possesses them; it has a momentum of its own; they are powerless to stop.
If Conservatives don’t take the Opposition seriously, one can hardly blame them. And yet that could prove to be a big mistake.
The more radical his plans are, the more resistance there will be. But one can’t serve up a municipal omelette without breaking eggs.
The further the act of leaving the EU recedes, the more 2019’s Tory voters will move on – as two recent by-elections reminded us.
But this electoral Titan has an Achilles heel – tax rises which, rather than planning or HS2, are the real threat to future Chesham & Amershams.
The Government’s planning proposals haven’t even gone out to consultation yet – and everyone knows that the current system’s broken.
We left the EU precisely to take back control. Having repatriated power, we mustn’t leave it in the hands of Whitehall functionaries.
Plus: Batley & Spen is no Hartlepool. LibDems eye Chesham & Amersham. And: will the West Ham variant hit Europe?
The pandemic is only likely to accelerate the process of these places becoming more graduate-heavy and small L liberal.
By uniting behind Johnson’s plan, and replicating the approach of these two mayors, the the environment can become a winning issue for the party.
It despises the very values of patriotism and economic self-improvement that made people like my grandparents vote for them.
The election has shown “people want a party and government that is focussed on them”, the Prime Minister tells Sky News.
“I’m also immensely proud to be the first Conservative MP in Hartlepool in 57 years” and “the first woman ever to be elected as MP for this town.”
It’s your efforts on the doorstep and phone that will help us to deliver more local Conservatives with a proven track record of delivering good local services.
Annual net migration currently suggests 55,000 more homes a year since the 2014 projections – more than the entire rise planned after the housing row.