But there were a couple of moments of levity – though both men agreed that this is no time for it.
And: the Conservatives hide their own manifesto away. The LibDems bungle theirs – which Prince Andrew wrecks anyway. Plus: election night line-ups.
The best epitaph on his Speakership is provided in this series of interventions by the former Leader of the House.
The Speaker is retiring, so is the Father of the House, but the Prime Minister looks confident of getting several encores.
A decision by the Speaker that will have surprised no-one. The Second Order of the Withdrawal Bill will take place tomorrow.
John Bercow’s constituents aren’t alone in looking forward to the seat getting a normal MP once more.
It’s time to grasp the real message of the 2016 referendum: that universal suffrage has been a mistake of historic proportions.
Yesterday’s Downing Street briefing and the plight of the Brexit talks suggest that he will ultimately settle for extension. That could be fatal – not least for him.
MPs would thus become the elected equivalents of the welfare scroungers of tabloid legend – dragging the reputation of Parliament even deeper into the mud.
The Prime Minister demonstrated his abounding vitality, and his love of teasing the prigs who oppose him.
There is a sense with all Johnson speeches that he is somehow parodying a politician making one – that the whole thing is done tongue-in-cheek.
Would we deploy the phrase in a similar way to the Prime Minister yesterday? The answer is that we wouldn’t. Here’s why.
Its verdict fundamentally misunderstands Parliamentary Sovereignty – thus raising big questions about the future of the judiciary and the stability of our constitution.
The Speaker has manipulated of the rules for a political objective, but the Government has been denied the opportunity to respond proportionately in kind.
If you agree, then I urge you to write to your MP and ask them to sign Early Day Motion No. 2 as well.