ON the eve of Conservative Party conference, Theresa May announced plans to hold a festival like 1851’s Great Exhibition, which seemed superfluous as leading party figures are already making such a great exhibition of themselves.

No greater exhibitionist than Boris Johnson, who spent the weekend stabbing his leader repeatedly. As the Prime Minister cries, “Et tu (again), Boris?”, in plunges the rubber knife: Mrs May’s tariffs plan is “preposterous”. And again: “Unlike the Prime Minister I fought for this [Brexit] …” And again: Mrs May is “not believing in Britain”.

The former foreign secretary keeps on stabbing: Britain’s negotiating team in Brussels had put in an “invertebrate performance”; the Chequers Plan for Brexit was a “moral and intellectual humiliation”. Johnson has an eye for the headlines but fails to grasp that he’s good news for those opposed to the Tories. He’s the gaffe that keeps on giving. But, according to him, his experience of winning mayoral elections twice stands him in good stead for electoral success – a fatal miscalculation that assumes London is like Britain.

Not that he wants to oust Mrs May, of course. He’s not standing. He’s just jumping about and waving. Watching his animated antics, Mrs May says those opposed to her Chequers Plan are “playing politics”. She means Labour in this instance but, awkwardly, a recent poll of Tory members had 69 per cent opposed to her Brexit scheme.

Unabashed, she will continue to put the “national interest” first. In Scotland, meanwhile, our interests seem marginal. We didn’t vote for any of this – party or policy – and fear the worst. And that’s without the thought of Mr Johnson becoming leader. Even from a Scottish Conservative point of view, all Ruth Davidson’s attempts to showcase a less toxic Tory party would immediately come undone.

Meanwhile, anyone fancying an exhibition showcasing everything that is – sadly – British at the moment could do worse than visiting Birmingham this week.