The Spectator’s Notes | 24 January 2019

This column has laughed before at the BBC’s satirical wit in having a slot called ‘Reality Check’ on Brexit. If ‘Reality Check’ were serious, it would ask every MP each time one appeared: ‘How do you intend to carry out parliament’s promise, both before and after the referendum, to implement its result?’

Orders from Davos on the Today programme on Tuesday: Roland Rudd, a PR man, tells MPs to ‘put country before party’. He does not say which country he has in mind. He particularly gives this instruction to Conservative MPs, despite being an active member of the Labour party and having Lord Mandelson as godfather to one of his children. You might think that many of those Tories will feel more practised than Mr Rudd at putting the interests of their country first, since most of them voted Leave. But wait. Mr Rudd is brother of Amber, who is a cabinet minister, and supports Remain.