I am obliged to report that when the No 10 spokesman gave this part of the statement there was a brief but heartfelt outbreak of laughter from journalists, one of whom later asked if the PM might thus be interested in a bridge he had to sell.

Thankfully the government has asked news stations to stop playing air raid sirens as of a few hours ago

For a few years, a certain type of commentator - including academics that I respect - have been trying to spin the line that a Labour govt would kill the SNP/indy. With a year to go to Holyrood 2026, the opposite is true.

And let's be blunt - if both the Tories *and* Labour become discredited as *parties of Westminster government* among Scottish voters, how long do you give the Union then?