Labour rumour mill will rumble on but Starmer has shown he is up for the fight

Efforts to get PM to spend more time with his MPs appear to be bearing fruit - more so than any macho briefing war

In the corner of one of Westminster's endless Christmas receptions, a Conservative veteran of the Brexit years admits they are somewhat baffled by the frenzied leadership speculation among the new Labour ranks.

It was easy to forget, they said, given how many Tory leaders the party cycled through - but prime ministers were not that easy to dislodge.