Chris Mason

And then your little comeback there of like, well, that just proves how much jeopardy you're in.

And you're basically saying to him, that's you acknowledging what we all know.

Well, if we unpick that, I mean, there's a danger of doing too much almost psychoanalysis here.

But if we unpick that,

That's pointing to two scenarios, isn't it?

Or three scenarios.

One would be that he just stands down because circumstances mean that in the end that is the course of action he takes.

Number two is that he fights a leadership election and loses.

Number three is he fights a leadership election or there isn't a leadership election and for whatever reason he carries on but at some point before the general election

he stands down.

And, yeah, as I say, who knows where we're going to end up.

But I think the reason a question like that, I think, is always worth asking is that you arrive at variations on circumstances where answering with a straight yes has limited plausibility.

And when I put it to Liz Truss, she tacitly acknowledged that that wasn't going to happen, even though she said yes.

I think she resigned...

48 hours later, 72 hours later, or said she would soon be leaving.

And yeah, the prime minister acknowledging the jeopardy.

And that's the tightrope that they have to walk.

You know, you don't want to look so otherworldly that you are giving the impression that you have no idea what is going on beyond the walls of the building that you're in, in terms of your predicament.

whilst at the same time not saying something that is instantly further undermining of the situation that you're in.

But also is a bit different from a couple of weekends ago when Starmer did an interview where he said he wanted to lead for 10 years.