Houdini Boris lives to fight another day

CHANGE, or be changed. That seems to be the message being handed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the local election results weren’t bad enough – just. Houdini has done it again. The great political escapologist has dodged the bullet... possibly by inches.

The mood being spread around Westminster by the die-hard “Boris brigade” was the lack of any likelihood of a challenge to his leadership.

“The boss” is back, fully focused, and his main rival Rishi Sunak has been sent packing in his £95 sliders.

But even among those most Gung Ho for Bojo there was wariness about “those bloody local elections”.

Expectation management was in full flow as a gloomy prediction of a tsunami of Tory losses was openly mooted.

Now we know the Conservatives, led by the PM, had a bruising night and endured some ugly flesh wounds, but nothing, it would appear, fatal.

To lose a totemic London borough such as Barnet, which had been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1964, and West Oxford, will have hurt.

Margaret Thatcher’s supposedly “favourite local council” in Wandsworth is also a big loss.

And the PM only needs to set foot out of his front door to be in Labour territory with the loss ofwestminster.

But crucially, Labour can never be the party of government if it cannot regain those vital Northern seats, and in too many of those areas the indications of required growth were simply not there. It’s one thing to win in Hampstead, but it’s simply embarrassing for Labour to lose in Hull.

MEANWHILE, Boris had sought to make the elections about potholes and parking rather than Prosecco and parties. He clearly didn’t pull it off.

All of which means it’s D-day for the Conservatives and the choice could scarcely be more stark.

It’s not hard to deduce from last week’s results that a change at the top could be the new order of the day, but those clamouring for it need to be careful what they wish for.

The charge sheet against Boris is exhaustive. You can point to anything and everything from wallpaper and spiralling energy costs to a stalled Brexit.

On many occasions he has undoubtedly been his own worst enemy. His illadvised and plodding defiance when

answering questions in the House of Commons made him appear leadenfooted – once an impossibility.

But then there are the PM’S achievements, and a row is already waging over whether he made enough of those during the campaign and why Westminster surrendered news concerning the supply and administering of vaccinations to the devolved nations.

Remember, it was neither Nicola Sturgeon from Scotland nor Mark Drakeford in Wales who invested in, signed off on or successfully delivered those vital vaccines. That was all down to Westminster – but much of the UK remains blissfully unaware of this.

As well as the vaccine programme,

Johnson can also point to being the PM to “get Brexit done” as well as being the world leader who first realised the importance of the war in Ukraine.

As US President Joe Biden was found asleep at the wheel and the EU held meetings about meetings to ensure they did the sum total of sweet flip all, Johnson was sending missiles, bullets and cash to Ukraine.

His address to the Ukrainian parliament last week – the first world leader to do that – confirmed his status.

Having had more drinks in the last chance saloon than your average zombie, the Prime Minister finds his fate in his own hands once more. Let’s see what he makes of it this time.