Who could replace Boris Johnson?

You have to wonder how much longer Boris Johnson can cling on. Sooner or later, he has to run out of ministers, right? Actually, I’m reminded of Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam who, unwilling to wait for Labor members to elect his cabinet after victory in the 1972 election, appointed himself and deputy Lance Barnard to a two-man ministry. For 14 days, the pair of them ran Australia on their tod, holding 27 ministerial portfolios between them. I used to think it an admirable feat. Now I have visions of a deserted Downing Street, not even Dilyn or Larry still in post, only Boris and Nadine Dorries left round the cabinet table, he on a Zoom with Zelenskyy and she on Amazon trying to buy a copy of Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics ahead of the most unmissable budget speech ever delivered by a Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Anyway, assuming BoJo is on his way out, it’s worth making a point that risks being overlooked: it’s important to get rid of him, but it’s even more important to pick the right replacement.