Mystery of the missing Tories as only a handful turn up for Cooper's small boats statement

It was all a bit of a mystery. Just where were the Tories? Have they just got their dates confused? Thought that recess started this week rather than next? Or had they all bunked off to Lord's to see England beat India in a tight finish? Or maybe some - caught up in the entente amicale aftermath of Emmanuel Macron's state visit - had taken the Eurostar to Paris to enjoy steak frites on Bastille Day?

- John Crace

You'd have thought the Conservative backbenchers would have wanted to be out in force to hear Yvette Cooper's statement on the new arrangements for dealing with small boats. After all, this is the stuff that Kemi Badenoch and Chris Philp live and breathe. The reason they get up in the morning. To wage a two-person war on those making the Channel crossing.

So surely Tory MPs would be desperate to have their say. A show of strength. But weirdly, there were only five and most of them scuttled off long before the end.

When Keir Starmer had announced his new "one in, one out" returns deal with Macron last Thursday, he had sounded slightly too keen. Four days on and the home secretary had no such qualms as she made a statement to the Commons on the new initiative.