Ben Jennings www.theguardian.com 

The hedging of bets by senior Tories is obscene. None of them know whether Johnson is finished or still has enough within him to run again so they’re all just laughing and joking about him but without any actual condemnation. “Oh it’s just Johnson”, “what he said was really useful”, “blah blah blah blah blah”.

Not one of them is willing to risk a future job if indeed Johnson has legs and not one of them is willing to chop those legs off at the knees for actively trying to undermine their own government. The man is running his own foreign policy completely separately from government and all they do is smile and nod and excuse and indulge. Cowards.

Here’s the thing, if you didn’t support him last time you’re done. He holds grudges.

If you resigned last time, you’re done. He holds grudges.

If you have brains, you’re done. The sun king can’t countenance another star in his firmament.

Johnson will not forgive, he will not forget and he will not change. If you thought it right to sack him last time for his venal corruption it remains right now. He will do the same things again. He is incapable of being anything other than Johnson and he’ll burn you for disloyalty, advantage or just because he’s too arrogant ti believe anyone matters more than him.