Judge Boris by what he does, not how he does it

The night before our last issue went to press, I received a message from the Prime Minister saying that he was sorry, that he had hoped to write the diary but couldn’t find time. No problem, I replied, he’d just seen off Jeremy Corbyn and had a Queen’s Speech to agree and deliver and our print deadline was 10.30 a.m. At 7 a.m. the next morning, I woke up to find a new message ‘Have done diary. Am finishing now.’ At 10.20 a.m.: ‘It’s done. 860 words.’ Then another message: ‘Still in car.’ At 10.28 a.m., with two minutes to go, I gave up hope. Then, at 10.29 a.m., it landed, word-perfect. Boris Johnson likes to take things close to the wire, often to the despair of those around him. But he also tends to deliver, under circumstances that would stump most other people. It’s useful to remember this when considering his premiership: Boris is deceptively haphazard. Don’t be fooled. Judge him by what he achieves, and not by how he does it.

We’re told this will be his new criteria for others, too. A cabinet reshuffle is expected in the middle of next month, which is already being dubbed the ‘Valentine’s Day massacre’ by nervous ministers and their advisers. Being a strong media performer, we’re told, will not save you. Speaking for too long in cabinet meetings is also a mistake. The Prime Minister has no factions to keep happy, and has weathered enough derision from the press not to fear rude comments from people like me. So is he radical, or cautious? The manifesto was a bit safety-first. To govern in this way would be a huge waste. As one cabinet member puts it: ‘If you can’t take risks with an 80-strong majority and a crushed opposition, when can you?’

The first new year party in Westminster was thrown by Andrew Griffith, until recently the financial chief of Sky TV, now the newly elected Tory MP for the ultra-safe seat of Arundel and South Downs.