Good evening. It is now 67 days since Keir Starmer stated that ‘every minute that we are not talking about the cost of living’ is ‘a minute wasted’. Well, we’ve barely heard about it since, so that’s 96,480 minutes wasted.

Events do have a habit of upsetting things. This week it has been the activities of three alpha male egos unsettling people who were once friends and allies, and turning politics upside down.

Starmer has just accused Donald Trump of ‘insulting and frankly appalling’ comments which ‘diminished’ the sacrifice of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan, after the President claimed Nato forces avoided the frontlines. This was fresh from his threats to seize Greenland by force (and then backing off). There were similar words of condemnation from Kemi Badenoch.

Also this afternoon, Robert Jenrick released text messages from the Tory chief whip Rebecca Harris, calling him a ‘bloodsucker’ who deserved ‘a really special place in hell’. This was not even for defecting to Reform, but after he wrote an article in March 2024 suggesting parts of the foreign aid budget should be redirected to the armed forces, something which is now Tory policy.

There is far from a non-zero chance Burnham ducks the challenge

‘This is actual feedback – leave the party and be a commentator,’ Harris added. Jenrick released the texts after Badenoch declared ‘He’s lying’ about........

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