Cut Along Now

They say Cameron and Johnson don't get on these days. Part of the reason may be the public recognise the Mayor with a little affection as 'Boris' but the PM as Cameron not Dave.

The PM will not ever gain that level of popularity as the masses will suffer plenty of hardship in his 'reign' and although some may pull on the forlock and admire their 'betters' the majority have a bit more dignity and self-respect.

'Bonkers' Johnson has plenty of political courage and is not phased by defying the part line. So he did not hold back when unleashing his views on DWP's intention to take a machete to housing benefit. It is not being a deficit denier to question why someone who has been looking for work for 12 months should qualify for a cut in housing benefit too.

Johnson knows politically his chances of re-election would be very limited if the capping of benefits engineered a series of homogonised wealthy communities purged of the working classes.

But he gives the impression he really beleives in it and has, in his time as Mayor, got a genuine feel for the people and wants to protect a London "where rich and poor can live together. " That's the politics of community and it is welcome to hear a Conservative say it. He went further, "On my watch you are not going to see thousands of families evicted from the place where they have put down roots."

Cameron will have none of it and predicatably his press has talked of Johnson being "slapped down" (yawn). The emphasis has shifted to the over the top language he used about "ethnic cleansing". In fact it was Labour's frontbencher Chris Bryant who coined the phrase earlier in the week prompting Dave's ridiculous claims of housing benefit claimants getting £50,000 a year. If such payments even exist they are very exceptional and should not be portrayed as typical.

But Cameron gave the game away when he said these people didn't deserve to live in houses "they couldn't possible dream" of owning. Simon Hoggart of the Guardian said it showed, like many of the upper classes, the PM expects "the poor to lead disagreeable lives".

At least one the 'hoity-toity' is prepared to stand up for them and Cameron will find, given Johnson's greater political ambition, he will be hard to quell.