Toxic Tories dump Mrs May at their peril while chirpy Corbyn anticipates the long-awaited revolution
Downing Street is now at the mercy of DUP hardliners who can save or destroy our government
“A DEAD woman walking.” George Osborne, sacked by Theresa May, spat out his carefully rehearsed verdict with all the relish of a hanging judge.
The only question, he added, was “how long can she remain on Death Row?”
It may also be the question that helps Theresa May survive. For if she goes, her government goes with her.
A hasty execution would trigger a leadership bloodbath and likely defeat in a consequent election.
My crystal ball is in smithereens after Thursday.
But you don’t need to be clairvoyant to see the inevitable.
Twentysomething millennials enjoyed their taste of power.
It was their youthful idealism — plus the lure of free university education — which propelled a lifelong loser within a whisker of victory.
They will turn out in their millions to help Jeremy Corbyn across the line next time.
Britain would have its first Marxist PM and the most revolutionary left-wing government ever.
Theresa May has made the Tories toxic. Nobody wants her, but they cannot afford to lose her.
Downing Street is at the mercy of DUP hardliners. A handful of Ulster votes can save or destroy her crippled government.
The tail is wagging the dog. If life was tough with a majority of 17, running a minority regime will be a living nightmare.
It will endure the added drama of torrid Brexit negotiations and the tight Commons votes to drive them through.
Boris Johnson dismisses talk of plots as “balls”.
But he believes he is the reincarnation of Winston Churchill, waiting in the wings to save the nation.
In a party of suits, no other Tory has his ability to seduce non-Tory voters. Boris does wear a suit, but only just.
He is equally happy jogging in pyjamas. People like that sort of thing.
Whether it qualifies him to run the country, steer it through a fraught Brexit jungle and put Britain’s economy back in shape is another question.
He won’t be handed the job on a plate. Brexit Secretary David Davis is sniffing the wind.
Chancellor Philip Hammond might stand. Priti Patel could stake a claim by slashing Britain’s bloated aid budget.
But a “Boris vs Jezza” contest remains the Tories’ best hope of survival in the short term.
Meanwhile, Theresa May is on life support. Serious Brexit talks begin in days.
Boris led the Out campaign but was no zealot until last year’s shock referendum result.
Now he believes he must deliver the expectations of most British voters.
By contrast, David Davis was a lifelong Europhobe. Today he seems more interested in a soft deal with Brussels.
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We now know Mrs May was also ready to compromise.
EU leaders were actually hoping she would win her promised landslide so she could negotiate a softer deal without risking a Tory backlash.
Germany’s Angela Merkel and newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron were even tipped to offer concessions on immigration denied to David Cameron in order to keep Britain within the fold.
There is talk of Britain joining Norway and Iceland and signing up as semi-detached members of the European Economic Area.
This would delight many Tories, including Brexit supporters, but would be anathema to others.
Never mind the DUP, a handful of votes by hardline Tory MPs could scupper any deal in Europe and reopen the civil war which has cursed the party for decades.
It would breathe life back into the Ukip corpse and galvanise a campaign to deliver last year’s “Brexit means Brexit” referendum vote.
Mass immigration, still running at 250,000 a year, would bounce back to life as the issue which infuriates voters most.
Meanwhile, as Tories sharpen their knives and stab each other in the back, disturbingly chirpy Jeremy Corbyn is rubbing his hands like a stunned jackpot winner and waiting for the long-awaited revolution.