Yes, there's been a ‘Boris bounce’ — but let’s wait for Parliament to have its say before getting too excited

It’s the summer calm before the autumn storm. The phoney war of words between Downing Street and Brussels is in full swing but both sides know nothing meaningful will happen until we know whether Parliament can frustrate Boris Johnson’s plans when it returns for two weeks in 10 days’ time.

The Tories are in surprisingly buoyant mood, given the uncertain parliamentary arithmetic. The Kantar poll putting them on 42 per cent, with a 14 per cent lead over Labour, may be an outlier but it is further proof of a “Boris bounce”.

Given that most people expect an election in November, whatever the outcome of the Brexit palaver, any kind of poll lead is welcome news for Tory campaign managers up and down the country. Election leaflets are already being written and a significant number of Tory MPs are likely to announce in the next fortnight that they will stand down, allowing enough time for new candidates to be chosen.

The Johnson government is only a month old, yet it has gripped the domestic political agenda in a way its predecessor never did. There is a sense of mission, a sense of direction. Even the sceptics would have to grudgingly admit it. The appointment of Dominic Cummings as political special adviser is a big part of the reason why. He is feared and admired in equal measure. Margaret Thatcher was famous for her declaration that “every prime minister needs a Willie [Whitelaw]”. Well, every successful government needs a Dom.

I don’t pretend to know him, but everyone I know who does, or who has worked for him, hasn’t got a bad word to say about him. He inspires devotion and awe. His maverick style and sense of unpredictability, together with his reclusive nature, mean political commentators often tend to totally misjudge his motives and methods. And that suits him just fine.

• Read more

Johnson returns to N10 in bid to find backstop alternative in 30 days

There was an expectation that a Johnson Downing Street would replicate the Johnson mayoralty in that the centre would be relatively hands-off and let a thousand flowers bloom. The opposite has been the case. Power and control lie in Downing Street and Cabinet ministers and their special advisers have been told it in no uncertain terms.

Given the importance of co-ordinating no-deal planning, this should come as little surprise. The big question is whether this command-and-control policy extends beyond Brexit, assuming there is a time in which Brexit does not dominate the domestic policy agenda. Johnson has so far been very successful in convincing Brexit Party supporting voters that he intends to deliver on his promise that we will leave the EU on October 31. Indeed, there is evidence that many Leave-voting Labour supporters are quite enamoured with him.

There are, however, storm clouds on the horizon. Nigel Farage thinks in the end Johnson will go for a version of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, with a watered-down version of the Irish backstop. The PM’s discussions in Berlin and Paris will have fuelled these suspicions. Such a deal may well get through Parliament this time but it would in no way satisfy purists, who view anything but a no deal Brexit as a sell-out. That’s the word ultra-Brexiteers would pin on Boris Johnson. But would it stick?

Don’t mock exam results: they count

There’s surely no more sickening sight than celebrities queuing up to tell us that they got terrible GCSE results but despite that they went on to succeed. It’s utterly nauseating. It sends out the message that exam results don’t matter.

Well, that may be the case for the lucky few but for most of the 15- and 16-year-olds who take them they are crucial. They can help determine which A-levels they are allowed to study, or what kind of jobs they are likely to go into after school.

Someone asked me to cast an eye over their CV last week. There was no mention of exam results or even the school my friend had attended. I queried why this was and was told that since she had a degree it was irrelevant and no one put these things on their CV nowadays.

I find this utterly bizarre. I’ve employed several hundred people over my career and I want to know their entire educational background, including exam subjects and grades achieved.

If people are no longer expected to include these details on their CV, maybe it really doesn’t matter any longer what exam results you achieve (or don’t) at GCSE level. Perhaps this is the time to mention that I got a U in physics and a D in biology. Never did me any harm…

* Back in the Seventies and Eighties I was an avid follower of cricket. I’d listen to Test Match Special while stacking straw bales on my father’s farm. I knew who all the players were and could even quote their batting averages in Test matches. Over the years my interest waned — but this year it's been reawakened, first by the World Cup triumph but also because a new crop of genuinely exciting players.

Jofra Archer is the latest. He reminds me of the great West Indian fast bowlers of the Eighties, like Joel Garner. And that is about the biggest compliment I can pay him.

Read more

Read more Johnson returns to N10 in bid to find backstop alternative in 30 days