Big Dog was now The Suspect, but at least Gray’s report would be delayed… Oh. | John Crace

Boris Johnson's day goes from bad to worse, with only a hardcore of loyalists left defending him

Big Dog was having a bad morning. Normally he could rely on Grant Shapps to put up a spirited defence of any government lie, which is why he had been sent out to do the morning media round.

But not even the transport secretary had been bothered to put a positive spin on the latest birthday party revelations. He had even made the schoolboy error of calling a party a party, when everyone knew that word was a no-no inside No 10.