As big dog Gromit quits Wallace is who Tory members want to replace him – politicalbetting.com

Tour De France is just one rolling advert for France's architecture and rolling countryside. Passing a very pretty Notre Dame d'avioth.

Pulpstar said:

TOPPING said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Putin is far more bothered about NATO, and Scottish Independence, than he ever cared about Brexit.

Say what?

I'll second that. He's obviously bothered about NATO being a huge military bloc facing Russia, but how on God's green earth does Scottish independence remotely worry him ?

GIUK gap.

A non-nuclear independent Scotland replacing the UK as being responsible for the GIUK gap would be great news for Putin.

BartholomewRoberts said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

BBC headline "Kremlin glee as world reacts to Johnson endgame"
President Putin's spokesman says "he doesn't like us and we don't like him either"

Since this is something that Putin wanted and is happy about, then presumably @Nigel_Foremain will call for Boris now to stay on afterall.

Or is doing the right thing for the country worth doing, even if it is something that Putin wanted?

Putin loves him. He is just trolling you. Please accept The Gullibility Award Of Moscow (Third Class). Putin is unable to award it to you in person, but I believe Jeremy Corbyn might oblige.

I also award you third place in the PB Award for Outstanding Boris Johnson Apologist (also known as The Amorality Award by Association Cup).

Putin loathes him, and Putin was never that bothered about Brexit. Brexit is your obsession, not Putin's.

Putin is far more bothered about NATO, and Scottish Independence, than he ever cared about Brexit.

You are so in denial. Of course he wanted Brexit. You are one of his little helpers and you know it. You are also an apologist for Johnson, the worst PM in our otherwise glorious history, and his election also pleased Vlad.

Try as you might "Barty" you cannot spoil my day. I am so delighted that the twat that you with your so so so poor judgement thought was good (you were fawning over him for years) is out of office. I know very well that you are disappointed and I am laughing at you and all his other apologists.

He was/is shit and totally unfit for office. Only someone who still believes in the fantasy world of Brexit and the "benefits" (guffaw) thereof would ever been gullible enough to think that that fat incompetent oaf was suitable to be PM.

Now excuse me, as unlike you, I have work to do. Have a thoroughly miserable day, and don't cry too much about the humiliating defenestration of your idol.

Right. So we now have an absolutely clear, neutral, candidate for interim PM, if Johnson is forced out.

That helps. https://twitter.com/johnestevens/status/1545035231404740615

turbotubbs said:

noneoftheabove said:

turbotubbs said:

Leon said:

Weirdly it was covid that brought down Boris

Without covid no Partygate. And no Dom Cummings eye test. Everything else he could have shrugged off

While that's undeniably true, his essential flaw would get him in the end - he does not tell the truth, and he lacks the capacity to do detail. I think you can get away with lying to some extent, if you keep on top of the lies you have told, but not both.

And morally - someone who lies as easily as he does should not be running a whelk stall, let alone the country.

Nah, think he would make an excellent whelk stall manager. Cheery bluster on a sunny afternoon would be great for sales.

Maybe - but if you were employing him?

I might opt for cashless and lots of cctv.....

Pro_Rata said:

In terms of confidence in Boris for the next few weeks, I'd expect Conservative MPs to be making their views known to the 1922 if they want a replacement now, and if soundings are that Boris is not welcome, the act of getting a caretaker in place would be via that internal process rather than riding on the back of a parliamentary VONC.

I suspect given staying on until successor is the standard, there will be grumblings but ultimately it will be a dog that didn't bark.

But, if not, the 22 need to manage Boris activating his crash pad plan, lining Raab or whoever up and doing the internal coordination of the process

Which brings us back to cabinet and juniors. Those payroll posts need to be adequately covered in the next few weeks, and those who resigned have now got what they wanted. With some banging together of heads, the 22 should suggest, both to Boris/caretaker and to the resignees, that it is time to get many of the junior ministers back into post.

The machinery of government has shown itself very aware in the past of the need for the continuity of government. Surely then they are talking to Raaaaab to ascertain if he understands that he may be Prime Minister very quickly should the '22 move to remove Johnson now.

This is all about consent. Johnson has ceased to be leader of the Conservative Party. He remains in place only by the consent of the party. They can withdraw it.

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

I don't pretend to know what Putin actually believes, but the position seems to be that no matter what is said or done Boris is unable to prove he is not one?

DecrepiterJohnL said:

JosiasJessop said:

If Johnson was a Putin stooge, then Putin got a very, very poor deal out of it. If he did, then it was a failed gamble; money wasted.

It doesn't mean he didn't try, though ...

Brexit; increased strain on the union, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland looking a bit dicey; continued army cuts; Lebedev; continued selling off of British defence and technology companies.

Aside from Brexit and the odd inclusion of Lebedev, those are just continuation of long-term trends.

The counter argument is much more persuasive: continued sanctions on Russia after Salisbury, continuation of the training scheme for Ukrainian troops; the way Johnson led the world (yes, really) in helping Ukraine at the start of this mess.

It would have been really easy for Johnson to have stopped or reduced the training scheme, called for the loosening of sanctions ("for peace"), not provided Ukraine with NLAWS, and not been as strident against Russia back in February.

That's where the argument for Johnson being a Putin stooge really falls down. His major actions were the opposite, and hurt Russia.

Andrea Jenkyns, a Johnson loyalist, shouts at the booing crowds:

“He who laughs last, laughs the loudest. Wait and see!”

What does Boris Johnson’s inner circle have planned?
https://twitter.com/tompeck/status/1545026053642473472/video/1

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

No. Not in the way YOU mean. Not a question of taking orders, but of moving along parallel lines, mutual aid, and all that.

Like Hitler and Mussolini. The former took the later for his role model, but certain neither was the puppet of the other.

World is not as simplistic as you would like it to be, for ideological purposes.

Vlad the Mad, BJx2, 45, Orban, Modi, Bolasano = League of Their Own

No doubt in the 1930s you'd have been calling Stanley Baldwin a fascist too.

Brexit was helpful in the round to Russia, but the delusion that ol' Vlad had a direct hand in it are the stuff of fantasy.

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

What' your explanation for the lebedev meetings without officials?

What's yours? Do you think he was picking up instructions from his handler?

I don't know , you tell us. It would be nice to know what he was up to but one thing is certain I won't be believing a word of Johnson's explanation if he is ever forced into supplying one.

Farooq said:

Here's another fruitloop

https://twitter.com/tompeck/status/1545026053642473472

What a fucking binfire

Our own wee Marjorie Taylor Greene, without the intellectual gravitas.

Raab not running. So no reason not to dump the liar now and replace him with his depute.

kle4 said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

I don't pretend to know what Putin actually believes, but the position seems to be that no matter what is said or done Boris is unable to prove he is not one?

Well that's what happens with serial unashamed liars - people can say and think what they like of them and it can't be rebutted.

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

What' your explanation for the lebedev meetings without officials?

What's yours? Do you think he was picking up instructions from his handler?

Oh come on now @williamglenn, you can think of a better conspiracy theory.

How about Johnson encouraged Putin (via Lebedev) to invade Ukraine so he (Johnson) could become a popular war leader. Putin's reaction to Johnson's departure is because he feels tricked by him.

TOPPING said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Pulpstar said:

TOPPING said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Putin is far more bothered about NATO, and Scottish Independence, than he ever cared about Brexit.

Say what?

I'll second that. He's obviously bothered about NATO being a huge military bloc facing Russia, but how on God's green earth does Scottish independence remotely worry him ?

GIUK gap.

A non-nuclear independent Scotland replacing the UK as being responsible for the GIUK gap would be great news for Putin.

They are worried about the migratory route for the Northern Wheatear?

Oh you mean the strategic significance. Do you think that Scotland, which has said it wants to join the EU and is a happy (according to polls of the SNP) in NATO would somehow give Putin a free ride?

I think the Royal Navy has been able to control access between Europe and the Atlantic, thanks to control over the GIUK gap and Gibraltar, for centuries.

I think strategically even if an indy Scotland joined NATO an indy Scotland Navy isn't going to be anything like the Royal Navy. And if the divorce isn't amicable ...

Strategically Russia gains nothing from Brexit other than the BS of "we are divided", but the division came from Remainders not accepting they'd lost the vote. And democracies are always divided on something or other.

Strategically Russia gains a lot from Scottish independence. The Royal Navy loses the GIUK Gap, loses Faslane, need I go on?

OllyT said:

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

What' your explanation for the lebedev meetings without officials?

What's yours? Do you think he was picking up instructions from his handler?

I don't know , you tell us. It would be nice to know what he was up to but one thing is certain I won't be believing a word of Johnson's explanation if he is ever forced into supplying one.

He held multiple meetings. As both Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. Out of sight and off-record of officials. With his friend the former KGB man. Whose son owns major newspapers. The same son who was ennobled by BlowJo as Lord KGB of Siberia despite the security services say "Christ don't do that!!!". All linked into Putin whose various former friends and associates money still flows into the Conservative Party in large quantities.

I agree with @williamglenn - nothing to see here. Move along.

IshmaelZ said:

biggles said:

I note with amusement that all those who criticised anyone who supported Boris as doing the Kremlin’s bidding now have to accept that getting rid of him is what the Kremlin wanted.

Keep the non sequiturs coming

That’s my point. I’m taking the opportunity to make a silly point which is no more silly than all the people who told me that voting for Brexit meant I was doing Putin’s bidding.

JosiasJessop said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

JosiasJessop said:

If Johnson was a Putin stooge, then Putin got a very, very poor deal out of it. If he did, then it was a failed gamble; money wasted.

It doesn't mean he didn't try, though ...

Brexit; increased strain on the union, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland looking a bit dicey; continued army cuts; Lebedev; continued selling off of British defence and technology companies.

Aside from Brexit and the odd inclusion of Lebedev, those are just continuation of long-term trends.

The counter argument is much more persuasive: continued sanctions on Russia after Salisbury, continuation of the training scheme for Ukrainian troops; the way Johnson led the world (yes, really) in helping Ukraine at the start of this mess.

It would have been really easy for Johnson to have stopped or reduced the training scheme, called for the loosening of sanctions ("for peace"), not provided Ukraine with NLAWS, and not been as strident against Russia back in February.

That's where the argument for Johnson being a Putin stooge really falls down. His major actions were the opposite, and hurt Russia.

I think "stooge" might be a straw man, though keep an eye on whether Starmer runs with Lebedev that was getting Labour excited in the Commons this morning, but we do know Boris has done things which suited Russia, so perhaps a Leninist useful idiot is the other end of the scale. We also know Russia does interfere with foreign politics; that the KGB attempted to recruit David Cameron; that Russians continue to fund the Conservative Party. But it is probably a step too far to claim Boris follows daily orders from the Kremlin.

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

What' your explanation for the lebedev meetings without officials?

What's yours? Do you think he was picking up instructions from his handler?

You jest. Now try coming up with a non-comedy explanation.

He likes socialising with the rich and connected. It's certainly no more suspicious than George Osborne being hosted on Deripaska's yacht.

ping said:

Wholesale gas £3.07/therm.

Doubled in a month.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cxwdwz5d8gxt/natural-gas

This is not good very bad for the October price cap. Over £3k/typical now nailed on, I recon.

When you read stuff like this, you begin to wonder if soon the Tory party will soon look back on the Boris era as the good old days when things were easy.

JosiasJessop said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

JosiasJessop said:

If Johnson was a Putin stooge, then Putin got a very, very poor deal out of it. If he did, then it was a failed gamble; money wasted.

It doesn't mean he didn't try, though ...

Brexit; increased strain on the union, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland looking a bit dicey; continued army cuts; Lebedev; continued selling off of British defence and technology companies.

Aside from Brexit and the odd inclusion of Lebedev, those are just continuation of long-term trends.

The counter argument is much more persuasive: continued sanctions on Russia after Salisbury, continuation of the training scheme for Ukrainian troops; the way Johnson led the world (yes, really) in helping Ukraine at the start of this mess.

It would have been really easy for Johnson to have stopped or reduced the training scheme, called for the loosening of sanctions ("for peace"), not provided Ukraine with NLAWS, and not been as strident against Russia back in February.

That's where the argument for Johnson being a Putin stooge really falls down. His major actions were the opposite, and hurt Russia.

The truth is, just as Vlad's apparatus loves to play both sides of an argument, so did Boris with influence. So he certainly courted opaque oligarchic money in a more opaque and industrial fashion and traded influence to people who batted both for and against Putin. And I'm guessing looked for cakeist ways to continue that even in the last few months.

But on the policy, I have no reservations that his policy responses to Salisbury, Ukraine and the like, were unambiguously anti-Kremlin and there is little sign of double play in his key actions.

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

IshmaelZ said:

williamglenn said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Valdimir Putin proclaiming his hatred of Boris Johnson = Boris Johnson proclaiming his love for Barack Obama.

Lying liars lying as per usual for usual reasons that lying liars lie.

Are you still sticking to the idea that Johnson was a Putin stooge?

What' your explanation for the lebedev meetings without officials?

What's yours? Do you think he was picking up instructions from his handler?

You jest. Now try coming up with a non-comedy explanation.

He likes socialising with the rich and connected. It's certainly no more suspicious than George Osborne being hosted on Deripaska's yacht.

Georgie is also a big mate with Lebedev. I mean he was made editor of one of his newspapers with zero previous experience, who then became very anti-Boris.

JosiasJessop said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

BBC headline "Kremlin glee as world reacts to Johnson endgame"
President Putin's spokesman says "he doesn't like us and we don't like him either"

Since this is something that Putin wanted and is happy about, then presumably @Nigel_Foremain will call for Boris now to stay on afterall.

Or is doing the right thing for the country worth doing, even if it is something that Putin wanted?

Putin loves him. He is just trolling you. Please accept The Gullibility Award Of Moscow (Third Class). Putin is unable to award it to you in person, but I believe Jeremy Corbyn might oblige.

I also award you third place in the PB Award for Outstanding Boris Johnson Apologist (also known as The Amorality Award by Association Cup).

Putin loathes him, and Putin was never that bothered about Brexit. Brexit is your obsession, not Putin's.

Putin is far more bothered about NATO, and Scottish Independence, than he ever cared about Brexit.

Putin was very interested in Brexit, because it caused arguments within his enemy. And that's his MO: if we're arguing amongst ourselves, then we're weaker.

That doesn't mean Brexit was wrong; just that he would have smiled when the vote went the way it did.

He would have backed Brexiteers during the Referendum, and the FBPE (or whatever they're called) after it.

NEW: Is Johnson holding on so he can keep Chequers over the summer? https://twitter.com/kitty_donaldson/status/1545044250416410626/photo/1

biggles said:

Nigelb said:

Well that's one vote at least.

https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1545026016623616000
Damian Green declares for Tom Tugendhat as the “fresh start” candidate - he tells @SophyRidgeSky “you can take it that Tom is going to run”

Surely it implies two votes, assuming he’d also vote for himself.

Sorry I know I’m a pedant.

I did wonder how long it would take.

Andy_JS said:

Nigelb said:

Well that's one vote at least.

https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1545026016623616000
Damian Green declares for Tom Tugendhat as the “fresh start” candidate - he tells @SophyRidgeSky “you can take it that Tom is going to run”

Bad news for Jeremy Hunt. Damian Green is the sort of MP who might have supported him.

Green was Hancock's proposer in the 2019 leadership election.

So, yes, he might have supported Hunt but by absolutely no means a banker for him (and he's not that brilliant a judge).

This will take a while to shake down. There could be several rounds with minor candidates showing a level of support as part of making the case for a cabinet role in future, before the serious business of choosing the final three from among the big boys and girls gets underway.

This is a prediction that no doubt will come back to haunt me, but colour me sceptical about candidates (like Tugendhat) who've not held a major cabinet job at some point. The Conservative Party is selecting a PM, not a leader in opposition, and these characters look like they are jockeying for cabinet position rather than the top job.

williamglenn said:

Scott_xP said:

Right. So we now have an absolutely clear, neutral, candidate for interim PM, if Johnson is forced out.

That helps. https://twitter.com/johnestevens/status/1545035231404740615

If ruling yourself out is tantamount to declaring your candidacy to be interim PM, we'll end up with a parallel contest.

I would like to be clear that I am also not running, and therefore available as PM.

mwadams said:

Sandpit said:

mwadams said:

Sandpit said:

occasionalranter said:

Sandpit said:

Mrs Sandpit is genuinely upset this afternoon.

All candidates need to make it clear that the Ukraine policy will be continued.

Ukraine is fortunately/unfortunately in the position of being his current devotion and having not yet been let down by him.

So long as the weapons and training keep coming, the Ukranians will be happy.

I think that this will be another nail in Johnson's self image. Those who come after will be equally lauded by Zelensky when they continue to do the same thing.

Not that it wasn't the right thing to do, just that Johnson is not some international colossus, working miracles. He (for once) didn't do the *wrong* thing.

Despite his image at home, his image abroad is one of the savior of Ukraine, from foreign journalists.

Exactly - but I suspect that may dissipate in his absence, when his successor continues to implement the policy.

A policy started under Cameron and continued under May - who if anything was most hawkish on Putin’s Russia than Johnson. Johnson was a good front man for an already well established and long running policy. There’s a reason 2022 was not a repeat of 2014 - training, in which the UK played a key role.

rcs1000 said:

JosiasJessop said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

BBC headline "Kremlin glee as world reacts to Johnson endgame"
President Putin's spokesman says "he doesn't like us and we don't like him either"

Since this is something that Putin wanted and is happy about, then presumably @Nigel_Foremain will call for Boris now to stay on afterall.

Or is doing the right thing for the country worth doing, even if it is something that Putin wanted?

Putin loves him. He is just trolling you. Please accept The Gullibility Award Of Moscow (Third Class). Putin is unable to award it to you in person, but I believe Jeremy Corbyn might oblige.

I also award you third place in the PB Award for Outstanding Boris Johnson Apologist (also known as The Amorality Award by Association Cup).

Putin loathes him, and Putin was never that bothered about Brexit. Brexit is your obsession, not Putin's.

Putin is far more bothered about NATO, and Scottish Independence, than he ever cared about Brexit.

Putin was very interested in Brexit, because it caused arguments within his enemy. And that's his MO: if we're arguing amongst ourselves, then we're weaker.

That doesn't mean Brexit was wrong; just that he would have smiled when the vote went the way it did.

He would have backed Brexiteers during the Referendum, and the FBPE (or whatever they're called) after it.

Yep, that's my point. He (probably) did not care for Brexit in itself; it was inconsequential to him compared to other matters. What he cared about was the division the arguments caused, both within the UK and between the UK and Europe.

Not sure if mentioned but Redfield have a poll out at 5 conducted entirely this morning described by Election Maps UK who has seen it as 'expectedly spicy'

Presumably at times like this BT rues the day mobile phones were invented, since no candidate now needs extra phone lines.

wooliedyed said:

Not sure if mentioned but Redfield have a poll out at 5 conducted entirely this morning described by Election Maps UK who has seen it as 'expectedly spicy'

Think all polling is a bit redundant till we know who the new (wo)man is in No 10.

Pulpstar said:

Raab ruling himself out so quickly ups his chances of being next PM.

Nope.

BoZo stays until they elect a new leader, which won't be Raab

Pulpstar said:

Raab ruling himself out so quickly ups his chances of being next PM.

As is only right and proper!

DecrepiterJohnL said:

JosiasJessop said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

JosiasJessop said:

If Johnson was a Putin stooge, then Putin got a very, very poor deal out of it. If he did, then it was a failed gamble; money wasted.

It doesn't mean he didn't try, though ...

Brexit; increased strain on the union, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland looking a bit dicey; continued army cuts; Lebedev; continued selling off of British defence and technology companies.

Aside from Brexit and the odd inclusion of Lebedev, those are just continuation of long-term trends.

The counter argument is much more persuasive: continued sanctions on Russia after Salisbury, continuation of the training scheme for Ukrainian troops; the way Johnson led the world (yes, really) in helping Ukraine at the start of this mess.

It would have been really easy for Johnson to have stopped or reduced the training scheme, called for the loosening of sanctions ("for peace"), not provided Ukraine with NLAWS, and not been as strident against Russia back in February.

That's where the argument for Johnson being a Putin stooge really falls down. His major actions were the opposite, and hurt Russia.

I think "stooge" might be a straw man, though keep an eye on whether Starmer runs with Lebedev that was getting Labour excited in the Commons this morning, but we do know Boris has done things which suited Russia, so perhaps a Leninist useful idiot is the other end of the scale. We also know Russia does interfere with foreign politics; that the KGB attempted to recruit David Cameron; that Russians continue to fund the Conservative Party. But it is probably a step too far to claim Boris follows daily orders from the Kremlin.

" but we do know Boris has done things which suited Russia,"

And some really, really important and immediate things that really went against Russia's interests. That's where your argument fails.

Pulpstar said:

wooliedyed said:

Not sure if mentioned but Redfield have a poll out at 5 conducted entirely this morning described by Election Maps UK who has seen it as 'expectedly spicy'

Think all polling is a bit redundant till we know who the new (wo)man is in No 10.

Mr Johnson (the poller not the ex-pol-to-be) has already thought of that.

"Asked to choose between potential Tory candidates and Keir Starmer, Starmer leads all of them apart from Rishi Sunak."
https://twitter.com/jamesjohnson252/status/1545033843480084482
https://twitter.com/jamesjohnson252/status/1545033847305379842?cxt=HHwWhIC9qaSGiPEqAAAA

CarlottaVance said:

EXCL: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are planning big wedding bash at Chequers within weeks - with sources saying it's part of reason he wants to stay as caretaker.

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1545045540244578304

What, so he has to clean up afterwards?

CarlottaVance said:

EXCL: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are planning big wedding bash at Chequers within weeks - with sources saying it's part of reason he wants to stay as caretaker.

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1545045540244578304

Who's she marrying?!

You are fucking kidding me?

EXCL: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are planning big wedding bash at Chequers within weeks - with sources saying it's part of reason he wants to stay as caretaker.

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1545045540244578304?s=21&t=ZFQFJRlKH4B0ggI8naNrqg

Cyclefree said:

Views on contenders:

Sunak - no
Javid: hmmm
Mordaunt: no - said daft things about Brexit, organised that ludicrous Leadsom March and got utterly pawned by Mumsnet the other day
Truss: absolutely not
Tugendhat: maybe depending on his team
Braverman: please God no
Wallace: possibly

Curious why you say absolutely not about Truss?

I believe you've been very positive about her in the past on her role for Equalities and Women's issues which I know is an issue close to your heart?

So I'm wondering what she's said or done to make her absolutely not, despite that?

Carnyx said:

CarlottaVance said:

EXCL: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are planning big wedding bash at Chequers within weeks - with sources saying it's part of reason he wants to stay as caretaker.

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1545045540244578304

Who's she marrying?!

I thought they were married? What was all that hoohah about Catholicism etc?

Cyclefree said:

Views on contenders:

Sunak - no
Javid: hmmm
Mordaunt: no - said daft things about Brexit, organised that ludicrous Leadsom March and got utterly pawned by Mumsnet the other day
Truss: absolutely not
Tugendhat: maybe depending on his team
Braverman: please God no
Wallace: possibly

Javid is basically discount Sunak, so I don't really get why one is a no and one isn't.

Other than still holding on to some residual Sunak-love long after it should have gone, I basically agree with this.

Also, it's pwned, not pawned.

SirNorfolkPassmore said:

Andy_JS said:

Nigelb said:

Well that's one vote at least.

https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1545026016623616000
Damian Green declares for Tom Tugendhat as the “fresh start” candidate - he tells @SophyRidgeSky “you can take it that Tom is going to run”

Bad news for Jeremy Hunt. Damian Green is the sort of MP who might have supported him.

Green was Hancock's proposer in the 2019 leadership election.

So, yes, he might have supported Hunt but by absolutely no means a banker for him (and he's not that brilliant a judge).

This will take a while to shake down. There could be several rounds with minor candidates showing a level of support as part of making the case for a cabinet role in future, before the serious business of choosing the final three from among the big boys and girls gets underway.

This is a prediction that no doubt will come back to haunt me, but colour me sceptical about candidates (like Tugendhat) who've not held a major cabinet job at some point. The Conservative Party is selecting a PM, not a leader in opposition, and these characters look like they are jockeying for cabinet position rather than the top job.

Whenever I mention Tom Tugendhat as a potential runner to politically-less-engaged friends/colleagues/family/casually aquaintances, their reaction is always the same: surely that can't be his name?
I wonder what sort of a barrier this will be? When did we last have a PM with a name that peculiar?
Penny Mordaunt, btw, carries a related handicap: how does one pronounce 'Mordaunt'? I'm hoping it's 'Mordant', or 'Mordunt'. Please tell me it's not 'Mordarnt'? That will put everyone north of Birmingham off.

You lot know more about politics than most. Does anyone know anything about Wallace’s politics other than his resolute stance on national security and the Russian War?

TheScreamingEagles said:

You are fucking kidding me?

EXCL: Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are planning big wedding bash at Chequers within weeks - with sources saying it's part of reason he wants to stay as caretaker.

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1545045540244578304?s=21&t=ZFQFJRlKH4B0ggI8naNrqg

Maybe if we all club together we can get them to hold it at Gleneagles instead, if that helps free things up. I'd happily contribute 10% of my 'Raab as next PM' winnings to get things started.