His suit a mess, his skin blotchy, Boris Johnson still thinks he’s a catch | John Crace

Vladimir Putin might not fancy him much, but buoyed by his halfwit foreign secretary, the PM wound up some happy travels

The timing couldn't have been better. What better way to deal with two humiliating byelection defeats and a growing disaffection within the Tory party about his leadership than for Boris Johnson to spend a week abroad? A chance to forget. To let some of the heat die down. And to try to look worthwhile on a global stage. First at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kigali. Then the G7 in Bavaria. And finally the Nato summit in Madrid.

But all good things come to an end and the Convict wound up his travels with a final press conference before flying home. It looked as if the week had taken its toll. The hair and the suit were a mess, the skin blotchy and the bags under his eyes appeared to have deepened and darkened visibly in just seven days.