Ed West Ed West

The Conservative party has a remarkable instinct for survival

So farewell, then, David Cameron. I suspect we’ll miss him when’s gone, but then he probably entered Downing Street 20 years too early, a product of a culture that fawns over youth and undervalues wisdom. At least Theresa May is a good decade older than him, although Kenneth Clarke, at 76, should have been considered for the role, entering as he is the prime of his political life.

After coming up with the great slogan of 2016, ‘Brits don’t quit’, Cameron then quit a few days later; his Tory arch-rival Boris Johnson then quit; Nigel Farage has quit, this time for good, followed by his deputy Paul Nuttall; Andrea Leadsom has quit; even Roy Hodgson and Chris Evans have quit. Jeremy Corbyn clings on, despite heavily losing a no confidence vote from his own parliamentary party, like a dinner guest who just won’t take the hint.

Throughout the horror show that has been this referendum campaign, the Labour party’s feuds have provided a welcome comic relief, like gravediggers in a Shakespeare play. Perhaps

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in