Theresa May a Dead Woman Walking- George Osborne

Top political figures used to wait a few years until they exacted revenge on former Cabinet colleagues
- usually when they published their memoirs. Everything happens faster these days. Less than a year since he was sacked as Chancellor by Theresa May, George Osborne yesterday tore into (the remnants of) Mrs May, savaging, slashing, cackling, crowing. Quite the statesman and gentleman! Ex-MP Osborne, who nowadays edits the London Evening Standard, was appearing as a sofa guest on BBC1's Andrew Marr show. He was there to discuss the political crisis following last week's general election.

‘Theresa May is a dead woman walking,’ he cried. ‘It’s just how long just’s going to remain on death row. We could easily get to the middle of next week and it all collapses for her.’

Pause for a nanosecond as he gulped down some oxygen and reached for another bucketload of slurry. ‘Be in no doubt,’ he raged, ‘you’ve got the Leader of the Opposition coming on this programme as a sort of victor and you’ve got the Prime Minister, who’s supposed to have won the election, in hiding!’

Marr enquired: ‘Is there a small part of you enjoying this?’

Outrageous suggestion, Andrew. There was a HUGE part of George Osborne loving this!

Those of us who spend our lives in the Westminster shooting-range butts, watching the targets through our field glasses, relish the melodramas and vicissitudes of politics.

Pratfalls, hubris, giddying bursts of popularity, comeuppances: these are our daily macaroni. But you expect a more collected approach from people who have held great offices of state.

One reason Paddy Ashdown, for instance, is such a thoroughly unimpressive figure – so glib and opportunistic – is that he never held ministerial office and was never matured in the barrel of government. But Mr Osborne was Chancellor for six years. He served in Cabinet with Mrs May.

On the sofa beside him were Left-wing grandee Polly Toynbee and Right-wing commentator Toby Young. When La Toynbee rides to the defence of a Tory PM, you know things must be extreme.