Regular media coverage (often stemming from interviews), an appearance on Desert Island Discs, an ambition that almost literally glows from his very being - does anyone think that David Davis doesn't want to be Prime Minister any more?
Maybe he won't be in David Cameron's first Cabinet. Maybe he won't be in any Cameron Cabinet. Clearly, Mr Davis's resignation didn’t please the leadership, and it was certainly high risk in terms of his career. But it is also eminently possible that David Davis will get a Cabinet job, and indeed that he will become Home Secretary.
Here’s a scenario. I'm not having a pop at David Davis (nor indeed at David Cameron), but I do think this is interesting.
By forcing a by-election on a point of principle Mr Davis was bolstered among the Conservative Party membership. He also won the admiration of many non-Tory people, especially in the civil liberties lobby. And he has become even more famous – fame being at a premium. I reckon that David Cameron, William Hague and George Osborne are the only genuinely famous members of the Shadow Cabinet.
David Cameron may well conclude that he can’t afford to leave the even-more-powerful-than-before Mr Davis out of his Cabinet, and Mr Davis has seriously boosted his chances of becoming Leader if the opportunity arises (and you just never know when that might happen).
And my final thought is this: I don’t believe for a second that none of this has occurred to David Davis.
