Happy Monday, and commiserations to all co-conspirators set to face the next two blistering days from an unconditioned office in Parliament, No. 10 or one of the various SW1 townhouses being used by the campaign teams. Guido will think of you as he eyes up the rosé-stacked office minifridge. 

In line with the weather, the campaign is finally getting spicy. Last night’s debate saw every candidate metaphorically leave the ITV studios on a stretcher after taking lumps out of each other for bad policies, poor character and untruthfulness. Presumably Keir Starmer is still beaming this morning. 

The polls after both Channel 4’s Friday debate and ITV’s Sunday debate will have provided major morale boosts to Team Tom and Team Rishi, though whether they change the dials for tonight’s vote – set to be released at 8 pm – remains to be seen. Certainly Liz Truss’s declared supporters haven’t relented in promoting their candidate over the weekend despite said polls saying she came across rather poorly, the moniker ‘Maybot 2.0’ already cranking into gear by rival camps.

Candidates will have one last opportunity to tell MPs why they should receive their vote at the 1922 hustings between 1400 and 1530 this afternoon. By Guido’s reckoning there are over 20 MPs who publicly backed eliminated candidates who are yet to redeclare support. At 10pm we get the government-laid vote of no confidence. Guido notes from the Order Paper that the LibDems have tabled an amendment to the VONC calling for the PM to go immediately. Best of luck with that, Sir Ed…