Boris’s mask slipped at PMQs

Oh dear. Those texts. A bit awkward isn’t it? At PMQs, Sir Keir quizzed Boris about the exchanges between James Dyson and the PM which have been leaked by a saboteur.

Boris was rattled. The texts reveal a side of his nature that he wants kept secret. The smug and rather puerile grandee luxuriating in his power and status. Look at me. Marvel at my cleverness. Watch as I solve your problems with my fingertips. See how ministers leap at my command.

This will permanently damage a man who likes to pose as the people’s servant, toiling night and day to restore the fortunes of a once mighty kingdom.

Sir Keir did well. Not brilliantly. ‘Favours, privileged access, tax breaks for mates,’ he said, ‘This is the main currency in this Conservative government.’

Boris used the public safety defence. He said the texts showed him acting swiftly and decisively to enable Dyson, the vacuum maestro, to become Britain’s ventilator champion.