A consequence of the new Code of Conduct may be that he is referred to a panel – whether Number Ten wants it or not.
It’s still winnable, but there are warning signs for the wider Party and its leadership.
The alternative is that somebody else will do it – and this has already started.
Boles was wrong about the Party Chairman. Yes, I fess up to knowing Donal Blaney. And: The UKIP GLA candidate trying to borrow a London address.
The Conservative Party organisation is over-stretched and over-extended but it is a winning Party with the hidden resources for regeneration and renewal.
Too many people get caught up in the pointless distractions of youth politics. It’s time to treat young Conservatives like any other Party members.
The announcement is a real advance and extremely welcome. But this is the close only of a chapter of this story – not the end of the book.
Our Executive Editor also argues for a fully independent inquiry into the Clarke scandal.
It will clearly be unsatisfactory if Lord Feldman and others are not interviewed at all, and that he himself will submit evidence to people who report to him.
The Party Board should ensure that the issues at stake are addressed with a credibility that is presently absent.
The Clarkegate allegations have revealed flawed accountability structures and failures of confidentiality – exacerbated by a fixation with the short-term.
Plus: Military strikes against Syria now. And: Maria Eagle should tell Corbyn to stuff his job. So should Kevan Jones.
Last week, an article on this site argued that the party doesn’t need a youth movement. Here’s why that view is wrong.