It comes to something when a police investigation into misconduct in No  10 and the danger of war in Europe are seen as helpful developments by supporters of the Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson’s human shield is no longer Sue Gray, but the Metropolitan Police. Gray’s report, used by Downing Street to evade scrutiny about Covid rule breaches and by Conservative MPs to delay moving against the Prime Minister, will soon be published. But her account of the worst transgressions will be redacted, following an edict by the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick.