Boris: Tories must unite

To the Carlton Club, that Palladian monument to power. Last night it hosted the unveiling of Boris Johnson’s new portrait, at a lavish dinner featuring the former premier as a guest of honour. The Carlton hasn’t always been the happiest of places for Johnson: it was here last summer that ‘Pinchergate’ began, resulting in the downfall of the government he led. But it was all smiles when Johnson took to his feet, to deliver his speech of thanks, with one guest quipping to Mr S: ‘At least we didn’t have to pay him £250,000 for the privilege.’

The Old Etonian has made his political interventions carefully since leaving Downing Street, amid much excited talk to ‘Bring back Boris.’ So it was perhaps not so much what Johnson said as what he didn’t actually say. He called on Tories to unite behind ‘the government’ to win the next election – but conspicuously, er, didn’t mention Rishi Sunak.