Johnson is acting like a winner. But reality may have other ideas | Martin Kettle

Although the prime minister wants to frame any election as a people versus parliament battle, there’s no easy path to victory

When a football team loses its first four games of the season, the manager’s job is on the line. Could the same thing happen with Boris Johnson’s prime ministership? It seems unlikely, so soon after the ousting of Theresa May. And yet politics, like football, is a results-driven game.

This week, Johnson lost four big votes in the Commons. Last week he lost Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson too. On Tuesday he threw 21 MPs out of his party. On Thursday he even drove his own brother out as well. The damage that Johnson is willing to inflict on politics appears limitless. But it may also extend to Tory prospects in the general election he is so keen to hold.

Related: Boris Johnson to seek general election again on Monday

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