The leader of the Europhile rebel alliance is, to the disappointment of her Remain colleagues, Nicky Morgan. Sacked NiMo is ridiculously claiming that a ‘hard Brexit’, which in reality means controlling borders and delivering the referendum result, will encourage “intolerance and bigotry”. She’s also been attacking selective education despite looking round private schools for her own son. Patrick McLoughlin uses the first interview by a Tory Cabinet minister with the Mirror in two decades to issue a public slap down:

“Nicky Morgan when she was Education Secretary very rightly allowed grammar schools to expand in the areas they have got them… So with the growing numbers you have got to allow this sort of opportunities to be there and that is what I would point out to Nicky Morgan, as I say she was Education Secretary that allowed grammar schools to expand.”

This should be seen as an indicator of the regard in which No. 10 now holds Morgan.

Worth remembering that this time last year Morgan nakedly declared her desire to lead the party. When Guido text one MP asking if she had a chance, they replied simply: “Haha”. Tory Leavers are privately referring to the Remain awkward squad of Morgan, Soubry, Herbert and Clarke* as the “New Bastards”. NiMo kneecapped her chances with the party long ago…

*More affectionately known as “that ol’ bastard.”