Is tactical voting unravelling before it has even begun?

Since the Tories lost not one but two by-elections on Friday, ministers have been rather quiet on the issue of Boris Johnson’s leadership. Where they have been more forthcoming, however, is tactical voting. Sajid Javid told the Daily Mail that Labour and the Liberal Democrats must ‘come clean’ over whether they have an electoral pact – arguing tactical voting had been on an ‘industrial scale’ when it came to the Tories’ heavy losses in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton.

It’s the prospect of mass tactical voting that is increasing nerves among Tory MPs who had thought they had relatively safe seats. As one put it to me: ‘The real danger is that people wake up to the fact that sufficient members of the public hate Boris Johnson so much they will do anything to get rid of him.’