After 55 years of party loyalty to leaders ranging from Heath to Thatcher, after first being elected as a Tory 43 years ago in 1976, the impossible has happened. Ann Widdecombe has left the Conservative Party. She is seen in the tabloids and on reality TV as the definitive Tory.

The mood with the Conservative Party is furiously mutinous. Downing Street this morning is calmly pointing to polls from early April showing the PM regularly beats Corbyn as choice of ‘best PM’ by around 10 points – neglecting to mention “Don’t Know” is the top choice. They also cite a YouGov poll from April 1 showing 68% saying that “If Theresa May were to stand down and someone else were appointed leader it “would probably not help resolve the issue of Brexit”. This was of course before she May invited Corbyn in to determine the terms of Brexit…