Yesterday, London was engaged in a collective search for its former Mayor and chief Brexiteer, Boris Johnson. Two weeks into Theresa May’s snap election campaign, and the stridently candid politician has been remarkably reticent. His stony silence was accompanied by reports that Team Theresa, wary of the dangers posed by the Foreign Secretary’s blunder-coated tongue, had set him securely on ice, to return to the national narrative only once May has firmly secured her mandate. Today, the search is over. Boris is back, in frothier form than ever, kicking off today’s political proceedings with a column in the Sun newspaper that urges voters not to feel sorry for the “mutton-headed old mugwump” Jeremy Corbyn because the leader of the opposition is not a “benign Islingtonian herbivore” but, actually, poses a profound threat to the nation's security.

Johnson, back in his comfort zone, was then unleashed into a series of morning interviews, reciting a ricocheting volley of witticisms. On ITV's Good Morning Britain, he revealed the term “mugwump” was inspired by Willy Wonka. “I apologize to mugwumps everywhere for inadvertently comparing them to Jeremy Corbyn,” he continued. But, behind Johson’s expert unfurling of his clumsy, jovial demeanor (now almost a cornerstone of British political debate), his interviews were significant. Repeatedly, he was pressed on his promise to provide £350 million to the NHS post-Brexit. Still, he stood by his claims. “When we take back control it will of course be possible for the government of the day to use this cash on the priorities of the country which could include the NHS.” On BBC Breakfast he was asked what he would do in the event of Donald Trump launching an attack on North Korea. “We don't think a military strike is likely to be successful.” And, on BBC Radio 4's Today program, he suggested that Britain would be prepared to launch military strikes against Syria without parliamentary approval if asked to do so by the US. “If the Americans were once again forced by the actions of the Assad regime ... and they asked us to help, it would be very difficult to say ‘no’,” he said.

Johnson's vivid, theatrical entrance onto the general election stage might seem strangely off-kilter with Theresa May's tactics thus far. Refusing to engage in dramatics, her method has been one of blunt attrition—a one-size-fits-all approach, promising, simply, strong and steady leadership in the face of a coalition of chaos. The Conservative campaign is acutely managed by Sir Lynton Crosby, who oversaw David Cameron's 2015 victory, and is notoriously controlled in his strategy. Freeing Boris Johnson might give the illusion of color but, really, he spoke this morning in shades of May, sounding remarkably like a tactically-timed injection of controlled chaos to an overly dull election campaign. It is almost as if the auspiciously-timed appearance of the freewheelin' Boris Johnson was staged.

UKIP’s fire fades

Sitting in a suite above Wolverhampton Racecourse, UKIP leader Paul Nuttall attempted to paint himself as a progressive figure; so progressive, in fact, that the majority of the nation remain desperately out-of-touch with his enlightened vision. “We raised some very important issues but I have to say in some cases it was trivialized and some of the responses were sniggering," he said, discussing his party's series of policies which would see the burqa banned and mandatory examinations of girls deemed vulnerable to FGM. “It is a bit like the Gandhi thing," he explained, drawing an odd comparison between himself and the Indian civil rights campaigner. "First they laugh at you, then they attack you, and then you win." Mockery and attack have certainly been rife; winning seems not to be on the cards. Post-Brexit, UKIP are stuck in an evanescent decline. This last spark of sensationalism seems set to fade out, not with a bang, but a whimper.