In times of turmoil and uncertainty (WhatsApp has been down all morning) we rely on familiar things to provide a sense of continuity. The Benny Hill theme was playing very loudly on a parallel street – it was aimed through the Foreign Office passage directly at the front door of No. 10. That helped. Cries of “Tories Out!” Photographers fighting for position. Conservative prime ministers resigning. These ceremonies are what we do so well.

A Liz-alike aide put the speech notes on the Jenga lectern. The No. 10 Media Marshall kept the ministerial escape route open: “Ministers are going to come through here. Let’s keep it tidy.” Then the audio equivalent of a blizzard of camera shutters firing. Something was happening. On the pavement, a man stood in a fighting pose with two brave-looking girls.

Through the legs of photographers, parts of their mother were visible. She was reading a speech. Guido heard “Hard working people. Now more than ever. Malign powers. Low growth. Seneca.”

We didn’t hear “chaos, lieutenants out of control, narcissistic assumptions, malevolent economists, pitiful administrative talent, ungovernable party, looking into the abyss.’

Must have been drowned out by Benny Hill.

Next up: Rishi Sunak.