It was the look on the faces of the ”fucking useless connivers” which gave the game away.
Otherwise known as the Parliamentary Labour Party, they had turned up to see how professionals ditched a leader they did not want.
Treachery in the Conservative Party has always been measured by the volume of support its victim receives.
David Cameron entered the Commons chamber to a roar loud enough for passers-by to think somebody important had turned up.
Actually somebody important had, but that was his replacement and she’d slipped in to her own slice of acclaim a little bit earlier.
If it had all gone to plan Labour rebels would have been joining in the chorus.
They’d be celebrating a cunning plan to keep comrade Corbyn off the ballot paper in the new ballot for Labour leader.
But, as Jeremy’s enforcer John McDonnell put it so succinctly last night, they had fucked up.
As they sat silent in their serried ranks of glumness, the man they wanted to get rid of looked ready to be leader for life.
It was meant to be Dave’s day – or at least half hour – as he bowed out at Prime Ministers Questions.
Later he was off to the Palace to hand in his notice but he was up for one more go in the barrel.
Politics being what it is, all eyes on his side were trying to send mind messages to the woman on his immediate left.
Theresa May, a chauffeur-driven away from her new job, seemed oblivious to the waves of job applications in the ether.
Chancellor – for the moment – George had been shoved out of his normal seat to make way for the new leader.
By her other side, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, tipped for promotion but sadly on holiday when the charisma bus passed by.
The rest of the present cabinet had to do with leaning forward as far as possible to get into her peripheral vision.
But if she was having a good day so was her soon-to-be opponent the present Labour leader.
On the ballot and clearly confident of success again, his smile was big enough to encompass neighbour Tom Jackson.
As Tom tried – and failed – to make himself smaller, his silence matched that of the serried ranks behind him.
The Jeremy of the past who might have been unnerved by the indifference had clearly stayed at home.
The new and improved Jeremy cracked jokes and even found a few seconds to compliment the man in whose demise he might’ve played a part.
Dave was clearly confused how he could be the one off to nowhere whilst Jeremy was still in post.
He declared a sneaking admiration for his tenacity; Jeremy declared himself excited by democracy – code for sod the MP’s and up the members.
Dave laughed, Jeremy laughed,Tory MPs laughed. John McConnell laughed,
The connivers did not laugh.
