FOR those watching closely, the two most powerful politicians in the United Kingdom, who live next door to one another, may soon have to have a reckoning.

The big political question this year is: did Rishi betray Boris, or did he say what was on everyone’s mind, but they were too scared to put their head above the parapet?

For the past few months, the Conservative party has been in free-fall since the revelations that the prime minister was involved in a series of potential breaches of lockdown rules. So much so, the Metropolitan Police are investigating a sitting prime minister, and it could cost Johnson his premiership if he is found to have misled parliament.

Not only that, the prime minister also tried to divert attention by making a fake slur against the Labour leader, for which he will not apologise. In the middle of this series of unfortunate political errors, his neighbour at Number 11 was asked whether the prime minister should apologise and withdraw his allegation that Keir Starmer was responsible for not prosecuting the serial sex offender, Jimmy Savile. “Dishy” Rishi, as he is known responded, “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it and I’m glad the PM clarified what he meant.”

It has divided the party, and the man who is so careful, may have made an error of judgment, no matter how true his answer.

Valentine’s Day will forever have an added piquancy for the current occupant of Number 11 Downing Street. It was the day when his very good friend, and then boss, Sajid Javid, resigned after the prime minister ordered him to fire his aides. Johnson immediately promoted Sunak from Treasury chief secretary to chancellor. The MP for Richmond in north Yorkshire had just four weeks to deliver his first budget, something