The Tories are addicted to self-destruction

Well, that round of party unity was fun, wasn’t it? Rishi Sunak, the pragmatist, ushered in an unfamiliar sense of calmness and competence as he entered Downing Street. It has lasted less than a week.

Yet again the newspapers are chock full of ‘senior Conservatives’ gunning for each other: the target this time is Suella Braverman.

The Tory cycle of violence continues. The question is: are the Tories just ‘ungovernable’ — as many said during Liz Truss’s collapse — or now fully addicted to self-destruction? 

So far this year 40,000 have entered Britain illegally: Braverman has said this amounts to ‘an invasion’.  David Cameron called it ‘a swarm’ in 2015 and he was also criticised, although of course in those days other Tories didn’t join in the outrage orgy with quite the same alacrity.