But end by repeating that it is unfair for constituents in any seat, whatever the circumstances may be, to have a by-election forced on them by as few as one in ten of their number.
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.
To date, Boris Johnson has been able to “dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge”. But a more than usually chaotic U-turn narrows his options.
There is scant sympathy for Bercow, but his complaints echo some of those during the Paterson row.
Applying a recall mechanism without conditions would rebalance politics by shifting power from officials to voters.
One can be confident that arguments to the contrary are the sort of defeatist doom-mongering up with which Johnson will not put.
The concept of ‘respect’ is all too open to abuse. In the current climate, it risks importing ‘cancel culture’ into political debate.
The Prime Minister must get out in front of the issue — and deal with the whole mess before it buries him.
Here are six recent examples of how the Prime Minister has been mugged by reality.
The row over the Northern Ireland Protocol must not be allowed to poison co-operation with our continental partners on defence against Russia.
You might think that it’s fine to work as a nurse or an army reservist, but not as a consultant. Who gets to decide, though?
“I am quite clear that I acted properly, honestly and within the Rules”, he says.
Here’s a summary of what Kathryn Stone OBE, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, found in her investigation.
Few politicians are even attempting to say where the axe should fall