The vast majority of British voters think the behaviour of the environmental extremists who scaled Rishi’s Richmond mansion was “unacceptable”. Is the roof finally caving in on the eco mob?

According to Omnisis, 60% of voters condemned the protest, with this number climbing to 69% if “don’t know” responses are removed. Just 27% of voters thought the protest was justified. No wonder CCHQ is so keen on linking Labour to the eco-clowns…

New polling from YouGov shows the gap between Labour and the Conservatives has closed by 7 percentage points since last week. Labour now has a vote share of 43% (-4), whilst the Conservatives rise to 25% (+3). Of course, Labour does still lead by 18%. It’s a start…

Although Guido is unsure quite what has caused the shift, Rishi can take solace from the fact it’s not an isolated result. The latest poll from Omnisis has Labour’s lead down by 4 percentage points, Savanta has it down by 3 points whilst Techne has the polls closing by a more modest 1%. This could make next week’s by-elections more interesting…

NHS waiting lists have reached a record high of 7,470,000 – just as junior doctors begin the longest strike in NHS history. This is up from the previous record of 7,420,000. That record was set last month.

As we pass the halfway point for the year, small boats crossings are also reaching record levels, as growth declines and inflation remains sticky. Rishi will no doubt claim his failure to even begin making progress on his fourth pledge, to cut waiting lists, is down to the Covid backlog. Despite the fact the pandemic ended nearly two years ago and the numbers are still climbing…

Sir Keir’s prawn cocktail offensive is paying off. In the latest donation statistics, for Q4 of 2022, Labour out-raised the Conservatives, bringing in a stonking £5,054,462 of private donations – the Conservatives raised £4,744,114. It gets worse for the Tories when public funds are taken into the equation: they’re on £4,858,373 in total. Labour raked in £7,220,437.

Labour’s boon came in large part from billionaire Lord Sainsbury, who was their largest donor with £2,000,000. Notorious eco-fanatic and green tycoon Dale Vince’s ecotricity also contributed £500,000. Of course, the unions also chipped in their fair share. They coughed up £1,028,000.

The ONS this morning reports that the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) rose by 9.6% in the 12 months to October 2022, up from 8.8% in September. CPI rose by 11.1%, up from 10.1%. These increases were driven by gas and electricity prices and have caused CPI to hit a 40-year high.

This week there has been a coordinated attempt to drive the outrage bus over Boris’s resignation list, it hasn’t really got going – probably because the list is a lot shorter than most suspected (so much for the so called ‘lavender list’ warnings that Boris would try to appoint 50 peers) and the fact the MPs on it are deferring any by-elections. Which is a peace-making gesture to Rishi that he would be unwise to spurn…

This morning’s Telegraph picks on Charlotte Owen, whose crime appears to be that she is a young woman in politics, reporting disapprovingly that she is 27 years of age, she is actually 29. The Times complained yesterday that Ross Kempsell was in his twenties, he is 30. If you are going to thunder about someone’s age, best get it right.

There are many issues with the Lords and how appointments are made that need reforming, appointing younger peers is surely not one of them. The average age in the upper chamber is 71, 13 members are aged 90 or over. The highest concentration of members from all parties is in the 70–79 age band, except the bishops, whose members mostly fall into the spritely 60 – 69 age band. The house is regularly referred to as a retirement home, which it should not be, considering it is a working legislature. Injecting some youth might be energising…

There are recent precedents for young advisers in their thirties being appointed by departing PMs; Cameron made Nat Wei a Lord at 33 and his press secretary Gabby Bertin was 38 when she became a Baroness, Jo Jo Penn was 34 when Theresa May put her in ermine. Let’s also not forget that the previous youngest person ever to receive a life peerage at 32 years of age, Lord Redesdale, was proposed by the LibDems in 2000….