Does the plot’s failure make this more likely?
Should they be opening the bubbly at Cameron Towers?
After an exciting few hours it now appears that the plot was restricted to the two former cabinet ministers and if any follow-up had been planned it seems to have gone plop.
The outcome is that Labour will be going into the election with a leader who has the second lowest approval ratings in the party’s history. Only Michael Foot rated lower.
Quite why the bulk of Labour MPs are reluctant to do anything about a leader who looks like an electoral liability will be studied by historians for years to come.
On top of that the Hoon-Hewitt move opened up what appeared to be more divisions within the party and the general theory is that voters don’t like split parties.
The main consolation is that it could have been worse – there could have been cabinet resignations and that has not happened.
So is David Cameron today’s main beneficiary? The answer must be yes. His general election opponent remains someone who is deeply unpopular in large parts of England where the marginals are.