Which, unless that senior Tory is under seven years old, really means something - because it takes in Theresa May's Darwin award-winning effort in 2017.
One thing on which Labour and the Conservatives might agree is that this has been a deliberately and relentlessly negative Tory campaign, with the overwhelming majority of messaging and ads targeted as attack lines.
And with that, a warm welcome back to Sir Sleepy! Sir Sleepy made his debut back in May, shortly after the election had been called, when an anonymous Tory aide suggested Keir Starmer lacked the stamina to campaign. Like many, I assumed Sir Sleepy would be the first in a family of seven attack lines that would also include Sir Dopey, Sir Grumpy, Sir Bashful, Sir Sneezy, Sir Happy and Sir Doc. Yet, somewhat ironically, the Sir Sleepy attack line then lay dormant after failing to take, being rudely reawakened only on Monday night in response to Starmer saying Friday night dinner was dedicated family time.
"I haven't finished by 6pm, ever," retorted Rishi Sunak. (On the plus side, he may well be completely done in time for Spain-Germany this Friday.) The Sir part of Sir Sleepy is, presumably, a dig at Starmer for having been given a title. Please remember this in the wake of the election when we meet Sir James Forsyth and Sir Isaac Levido, the No 10 advisers who have been operating heavy party machinery when apparently feeling very sleepy indeed.
This story is from the July 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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