Why the Tories can’t replace Boris with a Remainer

Readers of a certain vintage will remember the 1980s heyday of the light entertainment show Blind Date.

A series of well-scrubbed young men and women would compete to be taken out by a potential paramour who was hidden on the other side of a screen.

They would begin their moment in the spotlight with a tightly-scripted introduction in which they would offer their name and where they were from. The mass television audience, who had the advantage of being able to see each contestant, would very often form an instant impression based on these few seconds of exposure and its own prejudices.

I have often thought this merciless formula is not a bad approximation for the challenge a new political leader faces when seeking to make an impression beyond the party faithful.

According to the bookies’ odds, what the electorate is most likely to hear next from the Conservative party is: ‘Hi, my name is Jeremy and I’m from Surrey.’