Boris must speak the language of harmony

SO begins the Tory conference the opposition parties tried to prevent – and doubtless still hope to wreck.

In a pathetic display of spite, they first blocked a Commons recess allowing Conservative MPs to attend the annual gathering – held this year in Manchester.

Now they are plotting ways of cutting it short, possibly via a no-confidence vote which would see those MPs summoned back to Westminster.

The sad truth is that in the absence of any meaningful purpose, this dysfunctional Parliament has descended into petulance and malice.

They huff and puff about Boris Johnson’s supposed unfitness to govern, yet offer no alternative and cynically thwart the only way to break the deadlock – a general election.

It’s true Mr Johnson has made mistakes. He now acknowledges that accusing a female MP of ‘humbug’ when she warned of the dangers of inflammatory language was insensitive. Equally, the decision to expel 21 MPs who failed to toe his Brexit line was unnecessarily brutal.

And accusations that, when London mayor, he channelled funds to an organisation run by a woman with whom he had a close personal relationship cannot be airily dismissed. There may have been – as he insists – no impropriety, but questions must be answered.

In his defence, the Prime Minister has been subjected to an extraordinary barrage of hostility from his opponents.

While going into vapours about his use of words, such as surrender and betrayal – they scream ‘liar’, ‘cheat’ and ‘fascist’ almost every time he rises from the green benches.

Compared with these hypocrites, he has been a paragon of restraint.

This week he must stay calm, and use his vaunted oratorical skills to reunite his party for the struggle ahead.

Despite recent travails, there is cause for optimism. The Tories still lead in the polls and Mr Johnson’s personal ratings soar above those of hapless Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour’s internal polling is said to suggest the party could lose up to 100 seats at a general election. No wonder they’re so scared of having one.

But Mr Johnson can’t rely on the hopelessness of his opponents. He must project his own vision, for Brexit and beyond.

He might start by explaining how he would pull Britain out of the EU by October 31 if he doesn’t get a deal – a move that now appears to be illegal.

There have been signs that Europe is in the mood for negotiation. National leaders, notably Angela Merkel, realise that further delay means more uncertainty and plummeting business confidence across the EU. This is making them very nervous.

With or without a deal however, the Prime Minister must drive forward his domestic agenda. He has imaginative plans for the NHS, policing and improving schools. This is what ordinary people really care about.

Where Mr Corbyn represents a back-to-thefuture 1970s agenda of punitive taxes, ruinous borrowing and national decline, Boris must offer confidence and hope.

But if he is to succeed in his mission, he has to carry his whole party with him. To paraphrase Lady Thatcher, he must speak the language of harmony – not division.