Mirabile dictu. Something has gone right for the government. After long months of debilitation and stress, the problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol has been resolved, and devolved government will return to Stormont. There were long periods when it seemed that intransigence would prevail. “The dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone” were often cited by mainland officials, under their breath. The whole issue was much more a matter of principle and rhetoric than of practicality and substance, but it added to the Prime Minister’s travails, as if he had not been burdened enough. It also aroused suspicion among the “bad winner” wing of the arch-Brexiteers. Sunak’s own Brexit credentials are impeccable yet a dismaying number of his backbenchers seemed to be searching for an excuse to find fault with his handling of Ulster.
Cleverly comes out top at Tory conference
The four Conservative candidates vying to replace Rishi Sunak have launched their final leadership pitches.