Daily catch-up: Boris Johnson's support for Brexit boosts his support among Tory members

Another to add to my collection of Genuine Shop Names. There are several Argee Bhajees around the country, but here is one in Bournemouth, via Jamie Pullman.

µ Boris Johnson's decision to oppose Britain's membership of the EU has boosted his chances of succeeding David Cameron as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party, according to a YouGov poll of 1,005 Tory party members for The Times (pay wall), showing the change in support since Johnson's declaration for Brexit:

Boris Johnson 43% +5

George Osborne 22% +2

Theresa May 19% -2

Sajid Javid 7% -4

Update, now that I have seen the tables: In fact, in a Johnson-Osborne run-off, Boris's lead has shrunk by 1 point (from 19 to 18 points). I should reprise my standard line on reporting Scottish polls that so amuses SNP supporters and say: "Boris slumps to 18-point lead." Also notable is the small but significant shift (because YouGov reinterviewed the same respondents) towards Remain, support for which is now 31%, up 3, from Leave, 59%, down 2.

One of the reasons David Cameron and Osborne were keen to have the EU referendum so early, I suspect, was to maximise the time between it and the leadership election, in the hope that party members, who will make the final choice between two candidates, will have forgotten about it. This seems unlikely.

µ The Chancellor made fun yesterday of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell's invitation to Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek former finance minister, and Paul Mason, the author of Postcapitalism and former Channel 4 News journalist, to speak on Labour's “new economics” lecture tour: “Presumably they chose those two because Chairman Mao was dead and Mickey Mouse was busy.”

In my article for The Independent today, I tell the true story behind Labour's star signings.

µ David Aaronovitch meets a young Corbyn supporter:

“Well I think young people are disillusioned with the old party spin and general way of doing things. He’s put important issues back on the map.”

“How old are you – 21?” David retorts. “When were you ‘illusioned’? You haven’t been around long enough. You have the same opinion of Labour politics as Bart Simpson has about geometry.”

Out of surprise I choke on my beef pâté. In between coughs I wince: “Well, he speaks his mind.”

Sharply Aaronovitch replies: “Well his mind’s stupid! He’s never solved a problem in his life.”

µ It looks as if it will be Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump, then. This interview with David Plouffe, Barack Obama's campaign manager, before Super Tuesday, is worth reading or listening to.

If you end up with a Trump-Clinton match-up, that will be one for the ages. It will be one for the ages, and, you know, my strong suspicion is Hillary Clinton will be our next President, our first woman President.

Thanks to Ian Leslie.

µ An addition to my tautological place names (a Top 10 in my book, Listellany: Sahara Desert means Desert Desert and so on), and as a footnote to Monday's class with Sir Kevin Tebbit: East Timor means East East.

µ And finally, thanks to Moose Allain ‏for this:

"I've got a pair of very tight rubber gloves to give away, if anybody wants to take them off my hands."

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