Boris Johnson has become the eloquent author of his own downfall

Editorial: As Mr Johnson dreams up initiatives and commands his invisible armies, his staff fear that most of the party are looking to the future without him

His staff fear that most of the party are looking to the future without him (Brian Adcock)

The prime minister has apparently warned his enemies that they’ll need a tank division to get him out of No 10. It may well happen, taking the shape of the T34s of the backbench 1922 Committee, bombarding the place with declarations of no confidence.

The tanks are now massing in sufficient numbers to inflict a decisive Kursk-style defeat on Boris Johnson. These seem to many like Boris Johnson’s final days.

Like other leaders running out of time and friends, he has had to turn to his most loyal lieutenants and those not in a strong enough position to refuse to serve by his side. The appointment of Andrew Griffith, the prime minister’s parliamentary aide, as the new head of policy after the shock resignation of Munira Mirza, looks very much like a hurried, battlefield promotion.