The truncated nature of the leadership contest means that the staples of conservative politics – conspiracies, deals, betrayals and vicious briefings – are being played out at high speed. The heat hasn’t helped, with increasingly frequent acts of political violence taking place against the backdrop of mobilisations and leadership launches taking place in stiflingly hot rooms. In a simmering mix, the surprise rise of Penny Mordaunt, the trade secretary, has turned the race for the bottom two places into a battle royal. While all the candidates embrace the language of unity, their outsiders
