Donald Trump is key to Boris Johnson’s survival

There are so many problems confronting our polity this week that it is almost impossible to write about any of them. Between the time of writing and the time you read this, we could have agreed Brexit, destroyed Brexit, called an election, called a referendum, or achieved nothing at all. Here, perhaps, is one thing which can safely be pointed out. In almost any scenario, Boris Johnson has to worry about the Brexit party. In practice, this means worrying about Nigel Farage. Who, if so minded, could persuade Mr Farage to be amenable? Surely the answer is his friend Donald Trump. If President Trump is serious in his desire for Brexit, his most useful contribution at this moment would be to induce Mr Farage to help Boris, not hinder him. Might this involve persuading Boris to make Sir Nigel (as he would then become) British ambassador to the United States? Or could Lord Farage of the Medway Towns be created and become Britain’s special trade envoy to the court of King Donald? There must be something for him.

Trump’s desertion of the Kurds reveals how close his foreign policy really is to that of Barack Obama. Rhetorically, Trump loves America’s friends, whereas Obama tried to apologise to her enemies. In reality, however, both run away when the going gets tough. In both cases, the damage done to the world order is colossal.

I recently heard the alarming rumour that Mr Speaker Bercow still has it in his power (a power he used on an earlier occasion) to duck out of his promise to retire. He said on 9 September that he would step down on 31 October, but apparently he may decide at the last minute that his country still needs him.