By Paul Goodman

Follow Paul on Twitter.

In today's Daily Telegraph, the Moggster asks: "Is it, therefore, now time to make a “big open and comprehensive offer” to Ukip? (Thereby mimicking the words David Cameron used to launch his offer to the Liberal Democrats after the 2010 election.) In marvellously politicianly vein, Rees-Mogg doesn't deploy the P-word at any point.

None the less, he writes that "there is also a closeness between the grassroots of the two parties; many UKIP members were once Conservatives and in both cases active support is stronger among the over 50s. This ought to make a collaboration reasonably straightforward. It is also crucial." The right, he says, mustn't split - as the left did during the 1980s.