James Frayne: Five bits of advice that May’s new Communications Director should give her

“We’re badly trailing in the polls. Corbyn’s up and you’re down. You hired me to get things done and tell you how I see it. Here goes.”

James Frayne: Five reasons why lower middle class provincial voters are the key to a Tory victory

There are many seats in London that are also C1/C2 heavy: it is just that they are outer London seats.

James Frayne: Ten key points about the lower middle class, provincial, home-owning voters who decide elections

C1/C2 voters are hugely important in raw numerical terms. They make up 52 per cent of the electorate in England.

James Frayne: No, lifting the pay cap isn’t a priority for voters. Ministers should follow the evidence.

Indicating higher taxes, pledging potentially massive costs on retired people and raiding middle class welfare all played in the election result.

James Frayne: The problem wasn’t too great a focus on the Just-About-Managings. It was that there wasn’t enough.

Party strategists should not overlook the obvious: that without locking down the provincial lower middle class it’s extremely difficult to secure a majority.

James Frayne: Back to my case. More reasons why Johnson should become the next Tory leader by acclaim.

New polling shows he’s still the public’s top choice – significantly higher than Ruth Davidson in second and much higher than David Davis in third.

James Frayne: Let’s stick with May for the moment. But prepare to replace her with Johnson.

He isn’t perfect – and acclamation isn’t the ideal method. But the Conservatives face a crisis and must take action accordingly.

James Frayne: Voters want a brutal response to terrorists, but aren’t clear on the best way to combat extremism

Fears that the public are shifting towards aggressive, populist cultural policies targeted at Muslims are misfounded.

James Frayne: How free marketeers should respond to May’s interventionism

Other than saying, “the state should stay out of things”, they haven’t had much to say. This must change. They need to set out how they’d do things better.

James Frayne: Four manifesto ideas for the Conservatives which embody the ideals of this column

Over the last year, I’ve set out a number of policy ideas designed to appeal to lower middle class voters. Here are some of them.

James Frayne: May, not Cameron, is the real heir to Blair

Those looking to find what she really stands for may one day get an answer. But the point for the here and now is: she seeks to dominate the mainstream.

James Frayne: What are main vulnerabilities in this election for the Conservatives?

Why spend money on grammars, rather than dealing with school overcrowding? And why back Trident rather than the Navy’s conventional fleet?

James Frayne: If the Conservatives really want a landslide, they must pledge not to raise taxes

Of course taxes will be lower than under Corbyn. The question is whether they’ll be higher than they are now (already high).

James Frayne: Can one tell in advance if a Minister will be culled in a reshuffle?

There is a handful of Ministers who unfortunately display two or three of these signs. They know who they are – and so does Theresa May.

James Frayne: Beleaguered corporate executives have much to learn from politicians

Westminster is streets ahead of most boardrooms in dealing with intense media scrutiny.