Plus: The Chief Whip’s swift transformation from Francis Urquhart to Mr Bean. And: why I can’t bring myself to vote Tory in the local elections.
Several Ministers helped to see off the Government’s best hope of avoiding a full-on crisis in the Party – and perhaps of saving Brexit too.
That said, there was more backing for her from her party than some of today’s headlines suggest.
Some would-be rebels switched sides at the last minute, while at least three others abstained.
The Prime Minister failed to boost the fortunes of female candidates, and in other ways there is a shift away from the 2015 intake who came of age under David Cameron.
A vocal Brexiteer, a vocal critic of the Government’s plans, and two newly-elected MPs (Simon Clarke and Vicky Ford) were unsuccessful in the race.
After we leave the EU, Tories should take care to maintain the alliances we have built with like-minded politicians on the continent.
To shut off consideration of realistic and achievable ways of supporting the Government’s Brexit objectives would be irresponsible.