Five possible ‘Portillo moments’ at the next election

Michael Portillo. Nick Clegg. Jo Swinson. Every election has its defining moments: the viral clip when a big beast is brought low, humbled by the voters in his or her patch. So, in 2024, who are the long-faced losers likely to be? Steerpike’s crystal ball is by no means infallible, but given the way of the polls, it seems Tories are more likely to be overrepresented among the defeated than not.

Back in June, the pollster Frank Luntz was asked to speak to the 1922 committee. He helpfully told its members that those Conservative MPs that with a majority under 15,000 ought to now all consider themselves to be at risk. Half a dozen cabinet ministers fall within that metric, as do dozens of their parliamentary colleagues. Here’s Steerpike’s guide to some of the names most likely to become synonymous with defeat next year…

Alex Chalk

The Tory equivalent of a much-loved film character who gets killed off to advance the plot.