Ready with the popcorn as PopCon digests its demise

It takes a truly impressive degree of delusion to call yourself Popular Conservatism when that brand has never seemed so unpopular.

- JOE MURPHY

It takes unreality to a whole new level when the said amusingly-named splinter group books, for its post-rout rally, a venue that can accommodate 900 people in complete comfort.

Were there really almost a thousand people flocking into the Emmanuel Centre in damp Westminster to join a recently dismissed Jacob Rees-Mogg and a virtually-present Suella Braverman in a fightback against the electorate?

Well, no, there weren’t. The first discovery on entering the “PopCon” gathering was that two-thirds of the seating was roped off with scarlet cord – a bit like the post-election map of the UK. I’ve seen bigger splinters in my big toe.

By contrast, the House of Commons can seat only 400 of its 650 members, which is a tad awkward if the winning side boasts 412 of them. Thus, Labour’s benches were overflowing like the sorcerer’s porridge pot long before Keir Starmer’s MPs had finished squeezing into the chamber for the first time.

Backbenchers flooded onto the crossbenches and up stairways to the balcony seats, while dozens more stood at the back. It was the reality of a political landslide in flesh and blood and sheer voting power.