In politics, trajectory is everything. Had David Cameron achieved a majority of 50 seats in 2010 and seen it reduced to 12 on 7 May, he would be viewed as a dangerously weakened prime minister. Instead, since he previously had no majority at all, he is regarded as immeasurably strengthened. Tony Blair cut a haunted figure after his advantage was reduced from 167 seats to 66 in 2005. When Cameron, dressed in an open-necked shirt, greeted journalists at Downing Street’s summer drinks party, he looked supremely relaxed.
If the prime minister is at ease it is partly because he will not face the electorate again. His unexpected victory has ensured that history will record him as one of the most significant post-war Conservative PMs. Unlike Blair, he faces no immediate internal threat to his status. His Chancellor and likeliest successor, George Osborne, is his greatest ally, rather than his greatest foe.
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