Oh, we’ve always been the junior partner at NSF DG, we just pretend otherwise.

The UK Conservatives seem to be strapped for cash. The final two candidates have to donate £150k each to the party (CCHQ) which is on top of the £50k the final four have already donated. And everyone wonders why top Tories are so easily bought by donors.

Fascinating report on the Bella Centre in Dundee on @channel4news.bsky.social tonight.

Yeah, I'm not sold on those numbers either.

So according to this, Cleverly wins against Jenrick and loses to Badenoch. Big argument for Badenoch to deploy for any of the Tugendhat supporters who don't want Cleverly to win. I can't imagine that either Jenrick or Badenoch would do a deal to secure a place in the final two.

Cleverly could run the table here. Does he want to face Badenoch or Jenrick? He could loan votes to either to make it happen and almost certainly be sure of qualifying.

Cleverly looks to have hoovered up all the Stride votes there, plus one from Tugendhat, with two switching to Badenoch from Jenrick. Fight very much on for second place now. Can Jenrick/Badenoch strip any of the Tugendhat vote that you would assume would go Cleverly?

That’s the Johnson narrative - where he can blame the traitorous Sue Grey who then went on to work for Starmer, so must have been plotting from the start. Of course, that’s not the truth, but it is Johnson’s truth, which is what matters to him. Credible deniability in his own head.

What if the Tory selectorate had gone for Sunak first time round?

We also presume that this would have been the last scandal.