Uk politics

Is the prospect of Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn galvanising Tory ministers into rallying around Theresa May? Steve Baker MP, a lead Brexiteer – and one of the key junior ministers in the Department for Exiting the EU – today told an audience that he is 'enthusiastic' about Theresa May's approach to Brexit. Speaking at a European Conservatives and Reformists event, Baker explained that he was happy with the PM's position and that there is now 'no going back'. Theresa May's Florence speech 'doesn’t mean she’s backed away from the red lines she previously set out,' he explained. But despite saying that his own department never feels nervous, he seemed slightly more concerned about the prospect of Corbyn coming to power.

Where can Conservatives go if they're looking to cheer themselves up at their rather nervous, doleful conference? A fringe with Ruth Davidson seems to be the answer. The Scottish Tory leader gave an interview to the Times in a totally packed room at the Midland Hotel this lunchtime, and it was clear that Tory members were there hoping to hear from a Conservative who is doing well and in good cheer. There's something about Davidson's blunt approach to politics that Tory members seem to like. She tells them they're in a miserable state and need to pull themselves together, and gives the impression that she's already got it together - rather like the sports teacher who shouted at them a lot at school, or the army officer who turned up to take cadets.

An insight into the problem the Conservatives face winning over younger voters can be found in this year's party conference guide. In the listing advert for an event on young people and future jobs,  a speaker is denoted as a 'young person' by way of proof that the Tories have actually managed to locate one. https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/913846592658182145 Given that Labour leads by 35 points in the 18-24 bracket, it's not a laughing matter for the Tories. Theresa May's attempt to kick off conference with a bold pitch to these young voters has failed to take off.

I’m an admirer of Brian Cox so I was struck by a tweet of his yesterday, where he seemed to have encountered a scientific formula for the Antichrist. ‘If you removed all that is good in Britain, leaving only blimpish sludge, and emptied the residue into one man.’ It turns out that he was referring to the Foreign Secretary. The story in question was one where the Guardian claimed that Boris Johnson had ‘recited part of a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem’ in a Buddhist temple. The story was written to mislead the reader into thinking that Boris had read a poem in public in Burma, causing upset to guests. In fact, he’d been reminded of the Road to Mandalay, a poem that has inspired musicians (from Sinatra to Robbie Williams) for generations.

Conservative party conference kicks off today and already a few common themes are beginning to emerge: how to win back younger voters, May's vulnerable position and Boris-bashing. After Ruth Davidson used an interview with the Times to suggest that the Foreign Secretary needed a reality check, her Scottish comrade David Mundell has today joined in on the fun in a fringe event. Speaking on a panel of Scottish Conservative MPs discussing how the party could better connect with young voters, Mundell was asked whether BoJo could be the answer. His reply? 'I do recall that Boris Johnson once stood as rector of Edinburgh university. You can look at the results of that.

Of all the difficulties Theresa May faces, the importance of denying the truth may be the most acute. There are certain things a prime minister cannot say; certain fabrications that must be insisted upon because political expedience cannot withstand too much daylight. Mrs May, then, must pretend her position is secure and that, contrary to the expectations of her party and the country, that she will lead the Conservative party at the next general election, whenever that may be. If this makes her seem modestly ridiculous then so be it; the alternatives are even worse. Even so, some fictions would be better abandoned. Last week the prime minister was asked if the Conservative party needed to revisit the ‘modernising’ agenda that, in part, Mrs May was once a part of.