The uprising is over, the rebellion defeated. In the mud, lies the tattered flag of Adam Afriyie’s insurgency. The wannabe PM has all but conceded defeat this afternoon and is calling for party unity:

“With Ed Miliband’s leadership ratings in the deep freeze and Labour’s dire mid-term polling figures it is easy to forget that an unthinkable Labour Party reoccupation of Downing Street is a distinct possibility. This risk must sharpen our minds. It must bring conservative-leaning people together. Whatever the differences on the centre-right, we cannot allow a Labour-led government … That is why all Conservatives must come together to make sure that the hard work and difficult decisions of the last three years are not put to waste. Now is the time to focus again on the Labour Party and its plans for state control, paternalism and socialism. … I have no doubt that if all conservative-thinking people were united behind the Conservative Party we can deliver and EU referendum, win in 2015 and continue the painstaking but rewarding work of getting our country back on track.”

Where does collecting letters of support and then keeping them locked in safe rank on the scale of party unity?