Reform is stepping up its campaign to take down the Tories, reportedly preparing to unveil a “high-profile” candidate should Rishi Sunak step down. Though sources close to Sunak insist they’d be “surprised” if he steps down, his recent absence from the public stage is raising eyebrows. Reform sources claim Sunak and his deputy, Oliver Dowden, are gearing up to resign their seats. Sunak’s still eyeing the sunny shores of the Golden Coast…

Meanwhile, a Reform insider says that Nigel has “two former Tory MPs and one current Tory MP ready to defect’” and contest any forthcoming by-elections. Reform’s momentum is growing: they’re now more popular than Labour, and Labour aides are reportedly worried the party could surpass them in voting intention polls by the time of the local elections in May. With over 100 local branches launching soon, Reform continue to position itself as the real opposition…

Starmer just can’t get out of the habit. He’s given Sunak his old job back at PMQs…

Maybe Starmer wants to forget the last 100 days ever happened. It was a dour job otherwise as Sunak targeted Labour’s policy on China without scoring easy hits on taxes and freebies. Starmer batted those jabs away…

Rishi Sunak is set to leave Tory conference after making it through…just one day. After making one speech today, thanking the members for their efforts during the election and defending the Tory record, he’s set to go back to the capital to “prepare for the budget” next month. Then he’ll swiftly clear the stage for the four leadership candidates, encouraging members to unite behind whomever is chosen…

Meanwhile, Jenrick and Tugendhat are calling for the leadership race to be fast-tracked, eager to end the agony of this drawn-out saga and install a new leader in time for the budget. When your current leader can barely endure the first day of conference, who can blame them…

A feistier PMQs today as MPs return from recess. Sunak has been forced out of hiding, clearly taking advice from his aides when told his last PMQs was a little too “I wish you well, Starmer”. He slammed Labour’s decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance, asking Starmer to “explain why he has taken money away from [low income pensioners] whilst given more money to highly paid train drivers?”  To which Starmer reminded the House that the Tory leader “favourite” Kemi Badenoch backed his policy a few years ago. A slightly odd reversal where the Tories are now slamming means testing a benefits scheme…

Rishi Sunak has finally mustered up the strength (in-between fine dining in Beverly Hills) to speak out on social media, having been off grid for 23 days. You’d thing amongst riots, tax hikes in sight, and prisons filling up, the Leader of the Opposition would have something to say about the state of the nation…

An hour after Starmer’s speech today, Sunak managed to tweet the profound and insightful comment that it looks like Labour will raise taxes. Almost like he never really wanted the job in the first place…

Home Office statistics released this morning show that in the twelve-month period from June 2023 to 2024, migrant returns rose by a fifth, enforced returns rose by a half and “irregular arrivals” fell by 26%. There was also a 36% reduction in the asylum backlog. Dependents of those on study visas are also down 81% over the first six months of this year. Not bad…

Reviewing the figures, Sky News has pointed out that it’s difficult to argue that the plan wasn’t working:

“If you just look at the cold hard facts… a 12-month period entirely under the Conservative government and those figures going down, it could be argued that actually maybe it was working. We know that they put in certain policies especially around student visas and the dependence of student visas but also interestingly there’s some figures around the enforcement of returns so 48% increase in that now that’s quite a lot.“

Cleverly has done a victory lap this morning:“That’s the inheritance I left Labour.” Sky helpfully notes that Sunak would have had a rate cut, immigration success and small boat crossings reduced had he not decided to go in July: “Rishi might be sitting this morning thinking to himself – ‘hmmm, maybe that was a mistake…’” Recriminations over that decision are far from forgotten…