Andrew Gimson’s leadership sketch: Harper warns that making and breaking another promise will put rocket boosters under Farage

Leadsom threw such caution to the winds and promised Britain will leave the EU on 31st October.

Appointments 2) Cleverly joins the Department for Exiting the European Union

He takes over the role vacated by Heaton-Harris, who resigned yesterday over Theresa May’s decision to reach out to Jeremy Corbyn.

Recap 1) Nineteen posts vacant as May struggles to staff her Government

It is a telling sign that several PPS positions – usually the first step on the ladder for ambitious MPs – have gone unfilled since November.

Heaton-Harris resigns as No Deal Minister: “I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50”

He praises the work done by civil servants to prepare for exit without a deal – and suggests the Prime Minister has not been fully informed of their progress.

Seven Cabinet Ministers. Half the Whips Office. Eleven Ministers. All these failed to back the Government in yesterday’s extension vote.

Now some of these MPs may have been ill, or absent, or abroad. But how many were slipped with the connivance of the system?

WATCH: “I don’t think the Brexit negotiations are a complete waste of time”, says Brexit minister

“There’s a huge amount of activity,” Heaton-Harris tells Sky News, rejecting Baker’s criticism.

Heaton-Harris and Malthouse promoted to replace Baker and Raab

Downing Street sends a not-very-subtle message in its choice of successors in the mini-reshuffle.

Rebecca Lowe: The May portrait protests. Roll up the map on these Oxford geographers.

Claiming that there’s only one acceptable way of thinking about anything sets us rolling down a slippery slope towards destruction.

Who is to blame for the financial crisis in Northamptonshire?

The County’s seven Conservative MPs are clear that the problems are “self inflicted” due to financial mismanagement. They need to encourage new people to become councillors.

Rebecca Lowe Coulson: MPs shouldn’t inject political bias into the university syllabus – but neither should academics

There is a legitimate question to be asked about whether UK universities have been fulfilling their duty to provide a model of reasoned discourse on Brexit.

How the Conservatives are rebuilding their links with the Republicans – and will work with America’s President-elect

After a long chill, relations between the sister parties are thawing.

Alexander Temerko: Out go Cameron’s clip-voiced Etonians. In comes McLoughlin, Tory working class hero.

The former pit worker is the man to make the Conservatives a true One Nation party.

Election sketch: Northamptonshire Conservatives (including Mrs Bone) hope to persuade voters that UKIP is redundant

Peter Bone in Wellingborough, and Tom Pursglove in Corby, are campaigning on a staunchly Eurosceptic platform. Mrs Bone approves, but rather wishes it was all over.

Daniel Hannan MEP: What I learned about The Hobbit from reading it to my children

Here is a book that, as much as any I can think of, needs to be read aloud. Tolkien, like many Catholics of his generation, understood the power of incantation.

Antony Calvert: We need plain-speaking if we are to pass the Gogglebox test and win the election

We have won the big policy arguments – now we must set loose our MPs to speak to voters in their language.