Boris: It’s not over. Rebels: Yes, it is

Boris Johnson has just insisted that he has had ‘an extremely positive’ and ‘decisive result’ in the vote of confidence in his leadership. He said the government can ‘come together’ and ‘put behind’ it all the rows of the past few months and ‘focus on the stuff that the public actually want us to be talking about’. Speaking in Downing Street a few minutes ago, the Prime Minister claimed that tonight’s result gave him a bigger mandate than the one he had won from his party in 2019. He was either suffering from a heavy head cold, or extremely emotional, as he kept sniffing and stumbling over his words.

But talking to Conservative MPs who voted against Johnson tonight, it is clear that they are determined that the result is the beginning of the end. Though they are not particularly well-organised as one group, their message is remarkably consistent: the Prime Minister no longer enjoys the support of such a large chunk of his party that he should resign anyway.