A wise woman once said, “David Davis is ex SAS. He’s trained to survive.
“He’s also trained to take people out.”
Well, it was Nadine Dorries, but still. She had a point.
Boris Johnson harrumphed into PMQs yesterday like a bear with a thorn in his foot, fuming from the fresh humiliation of one of his precious ‘red wall’ MPs crossing the floor .
Gone was his contrite, ‘I’m so very sorry all I can do is stare at my shoes and sigh’ act of 24 hours earlier.
In its place was a desperately defiant Johnson, batting away every question about his behaviour in the direction of Sue Gray - whose report is sure to be the most hotly anticipated book since Harry Potter’s heyday.
It briefly looked like Tory turncoat Christian Wakeford’s betrayal had backfired, rallying angry backbenchers behind the wounded PM.
The PM’s febrile flankers were so furious at their fleeing former comrade that Keir Starmer joked that they’d been told to “bring their own boos”.
But just when it looked like Johnson might sneak out of the chamber without serious injury - he turned around to see a Commando about to strike.
His old ally, David Davis - a man so Brexit that if you cut him open he’d have the full text of Article 50 written through him, like the world's most boring stick of rock - quoted the withering words of Leo Amery which sparked Neville Chamberlain’s downfall in 1940.
“You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing,” Davis said - briefly transformed from his usual appearance as an ageing, avuncular second-hand car salesman back into the lethal weapon of his military youth.
“In the name of God, go.”
Johnson, who wrote a whole book about Winston Churchill’s rise to power, insisted he did not recognise the significance of the quote.
(Note: I've checked the book, and it doesn't contain the quote - so it's possible that on this occasion he was, in fact, telling the truth)
In the Summer of 2018, It was Davis’ letter to Theresa May quitting as Brexit Secretary that sparked the wave of resignations on which Johnson eventually surfed into Number 10.
It would be historically delicious if it were also his words finally put the Big Dog to sleep.
