The Conservative Party conference isn’t as expected – the chatter about Boris Johnson’s leadership has begun

Editorial: The Tories will open an official HQ in Leeds in a gesture towards the north, but unless the prime minister delivers results the party will ditch him

The PM is getting a small taste of what he put his predecessor through (Getty)

Obviously, this year’s Conservative Party conference isn’t going to be quite as planned. Quite apart from the exigencies of Covid-19, what was supposed to be a champagne-soaked victory rally will be more like a rather lonely Zoom-based wake. The government’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus crisis has put quite the dampener on things.

Instead of an exciting new agenda for Global Britain in the world and levelling up living standards at home, the Tories will be fretting about the coming recession, mass unemployment, broken public finances, tax rises and cuts to public spending. The response to the public health crisis and local lockdowns has given rise to a new round of Tory wars, while Brexit seems far from being an “oven ready” done deal. Chatter about the leadership is getting louder.

The contemporary Tory addiction to plotting, splits and rebellions, picked up during its civil war over Europe, looks to be as strong as ever. Such bad habits have quickly rendered Mr Johnson’s nominal working majority, of 87 or so, irrelevant. Some 40 or 50 backbenchers can easily be recruited in an afternoon to defy the whips over Brexit or some Covid-19 regulations.  A swift U-turn is the usual result. On some days, Mr Johnson’s government seems hardly stronger than it did when he had no overall majority at all. Even Theresa May is causing trouble, giving Mr Johnson a small taste of what he put her through.