The wrong man

Labour needs to focus. This is a pivotal moment in British politics.

Ignore Iain Duncan Smith — now twice-made a willing chump of the Tory Party.

Start forgetting George Osborne. By calling on him to resign, Jeremy Corbyn has probably shored up the Chancellor’s position for a little longer but he will be soon be irrelevant to Labour’s future prospects.

Get ready for Boris.

What is happening in the Conservative Party has an obvious parallel in recent Labour history: the bitter exchange of letters between Tom Watson and Tony Blair, did not force the Prime Minister to resign but accelerated the timetable of his already-announced departure.

From that moment on, Gordon Brown was certain to become Prime Minister and Tony had nothing left to choose but the staging of his exit:

“He needs to go with the crowds wanting more. He should be the star who won’t even play that last encore.”

David Cameron has already said he will not lead the Tories into the next election. How Labour bids him farewell is less important than how we welcome his successor.

In a year’s time, perhaps when Prime Minister Johnson appoints Iain Duncan Smith to his Cabinet, we might more clearly see that a deal has been done between the Brexiteers and Boris. He backed their cause, they backed his.

It is almost too convenient that at the point when Iain Duncan Smith stands dripping with the Prime Minister’s blood, Boris is on a ski slope in another country. “What, me?! But Officer, I was nowhere near the crime scene and that man over there has blood on his hands…”

So: Labour focus your guns. We are in for a new fight. And at the moment, we are pointing at the wrong man.