Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

What the papers say: How has May managed to cling on?

Damian Green was Theresa May’s closest ally in government and his departure makes life even trickier for the embattled Prime Minister. Yet while Green’s sacking caps off a dreadful 2017 for the PM, still May survives. ‘In an otherwise traumatic year’, says the Guardian, ‘that probably counts as a success.’ So how has May managed to cling on?

The Guardian says May owes her survival to the lack of a viable alternative within the Tory ranks. What’s more, it’s worth remembering that those who would seek to replace the PM – Philip Hammond, Boris Johnson and David Davis, for instance – have hardly had the best of years themselves. The Guardian also gives another reason for the PM’s ability to endure: her status among ‘those who matter’ as ‘the least worst person to be in charge of Brexit’.

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