The carapace of triumph he presented is being shattered: not just by the missiles of sections of the press, or the sticks and stones of the Tory rank and file, but by the wrecking ball of MPs and ministers, including members of the Cabinet. Michael Gove’s decision to show duty to his principles and his country (in a statement of impeccable logic and massive moral weight), rather than remain loyal to someone whose loyalty to him has been at best selective, is moving and uplifting. It is an act of heroic political leadership of a type that comes perhaps, if we are lucky, once in a generation. It sets a tone of reality in a debate that, since Mr Cameron emerged on Friday, had seemed to be conducted in a parallel universe. And it shows Boris Johnson in a true and unedifying light, whatever he chooses to do.