Boris Johnson was given a brutal reminder yesterday that his time in office will be at the mercy of the Commons arithmetic.
The Tory frontrunner may also want to keep an eye on what his happening in his own backyard.
My colleague Ros Wynne-Jones has a written a profile here of Ali Milani , the 25-year-old Labour candidate hoping to take Johnson’s Uxbridge seat at the next election.
Victory for Labour is not beyond the bounds of possibility.
Johnson is defending a 5,000 majority in a constituency that has seen a lot of demographic changes and is in a city that is predominantly remain.
Milani’s energetic campaigning stands in contrast with Labour in Westminster where the leadership has been slow to take the fight to Johnson.
One of the basic rules of politics is you should try to define your opponent before they define you.
Johnson has used every TV appearance to smear Jeremy Corbyn as a dangerous Marxist.
This raises questions about broadcasting impartiality rules (I’m surprised Labour has not kicked up more of fuss at the way the Tories have been given prime time slots without any right of reply) but it also raises questions about Labour’s attack operation.
The last two PMQs offered Corbyn the perfect platform to land some punches on Johnson but he has declined the opportunity.
By contrast, the SNP’s Ian Blackford gleefully seized this chance.
Labour should be crafting a message, repeated by all its spokespeople, that captures the inadequacies and incompetence of Johnson.
Dossiers of past blunders should be filling journalists’ inboxes.
I’ve received just one.
They can hardly be short of ammunition.
Labour’s case has not been helped by the internal row over anti-semitism.
It is hardly ideal that on Monday, the eve before the Tory leader is announced, the party’s peers will discuss a no confidence motion in Corbyn.
Theresa May will leave office in much the same way as she arrived: over promising and under delivering.
The Times reports today that her parting gift will be a £2billion pay rise for public sector workers.
Teachers, some NHS staff, police officers and members of the armed forces may want to put the bunting on hold until they read the terms and conditions which show that there is no extra money and the increases will be funded from existing budgets.
In May’s Britain children have to pay for their own Christmas presents.
Today's agenda:
The House of Commons is not sitting
9.30am - Public sector finance figures for June are published.
10am - Sajid Javid speech on countering extremism.
7pm - BBC2 Lib Dem leadership debate between Ed Davey and Jo Swinson.
What I am reading:
Anand Menon in the Huffpost on why nobody should want a no deal
And
Polly Toynbee in the Guardian on how Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership is dragging Labour down.
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