Tory mps returning to Westminster after their much-needed Whitsun break face a tricky decision. What, if anything, is to be done about their leader, Michael Howard? In the four weeks since the general election, Mr Howard has managed to infuriate almost everyone. His jocular taunt to Tony Blair on May 17th that "the way to get your colleagues to ask you to stay is to set a timetable for your departure" now has a very hollow ring to it. Mr Howard's mistake was to believe that a leader who has promised to quit within seven months was in a position to force through complex and controversial reforms about the way the party organises itself.
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