If you had a lie-in this morning you may have missed that Momentum’s attempt to purge Watson has failed. You may have missed it had even started last night. Jon Lansman, the multi-millionaire founder of Momentum proposed to the party’s governing NEC that the position of Deputy Leader be abolished. The headbanging outriders of Corbyn on Twitter were ecstatic, most Labour MPs were alarmed, it was reported that Gordon Brown had phoned Corbyn and McDonnell to lobby against the move, Tony Blair publicly backed the man who initiated the “curry plot” that led to his demise. Corbyn blinked.

What this is really about is stopping Watson becoming leader or even Prime Minister in the event that Corbyn vacates the position through ill health or machinations. Also the Labour left hates Watson for blocking some of their madder moves.

Jezza has proposed a compromise motion to the NEC advocating instead a review of the Deputy Leader position – it has long been suspected that the left wants a second Deputy Leadership position reserved for a woman – allowing Jeremy to play the statesman like peacemaker. The outriders are disappointed and Lansman now says this is a brilliant idea, not explaining why he proposed something completely different. Diane Abbott is claiming it was all just a media fabrication. Somewhere far away from Labour Conference Tony Blair is laughing…