How long can he last? Though Boris Johnson has his implacable enemies and kamikaze devotees among his MPs, the emerging consensus seems to be that he is probably safe until the party conference in the autumn, though that jamboree would not seem to be an obvious setting for a coup.
For his own part, the prime minister told his cabinet during a brief photo call that he thinks he can now “draw a line” under questions about his leadership. That is as deluded as his remarkable statement in the post-vote television interview that he had scored an “extremely good” result. He looked dazed, as if suffering from concussion after being mugged by his backbenchers. At any rate, he will be lucky to survive until the autumn.
There are a number of critical challenges ahead of him in the coming weeks. The two by-elections, in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton, are especially dangerous for Mr Johnson. There seems every chance that he will lose at least one (Wakefield), quite possibly both – and will see historic swings away from the Conservatives in both seats.
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