Going out with a bang

Finally, Suella Braverman goes. She was only there to get Sunak the leadership, but even he can see that there comes a point when that price is too high. Her supporters, of course, are irate - “Come for Suella, and you come for us all” the Daily Mail trumpets, as though this were the last stand of Che Guevara.

But it’s not a movie, it’s a government. She’s a minister, and there are rules. If you submit an article to No. 10 for approval, and they tell you changes you should make, you have to make those changes - or be sacked. She wouldn’t make them, so she’s out. Just as she was out of Liz Truss’ government for leaking confidential material to a friend. It’s not rocket science; it’s called keeping to the rules.

But rules do not apply. We’re in the lunatic world of performance politics, where the stance is all. Forget competence, making things happen, seeing things through. It’s about striking attitudes, saying I’m right and you’re wrong (whether or not you happen to be Prime Minister), appealing to the base. And somehow behaviour which would be unacceptable in a stroppy teenager is seen to be acceptable if it comes from a leadership candidate.