Boris Johnson says: in the national interest, save Nick Clegg!

The Mayor of London has come galloping to the Deputy Prime Minister's defence today. He uses his Telegraph column to list 20 reasons we should all save the endangered species that is the Cleggster, starting with: "If it hadn’t been for the good sense of the Deputy PM, we would still have Gordon Brown in Downing Street, biting his nails, chucking staplers around, and refusing to accept that it was his policies of reckless spending on an unreformed public sector that got this country into a colossal economic mess. A lot of people have forgotten that Gordon stayed in Downing Street for days after the election, like some Japanese soldier lurking in the jungles of the Philippines, and refused to accept that he had lost. It was the Cleggster who helped to winkle him out."

He goes on to say that, were it not for Clegg, key government reforms in education and welfare simply couldn't happen. And he saves his chief reason for last. Here's Number 20: "And above all, amigos, it is thanks to Nick Clegg that we are not currently in coalition with Chris Huhne! Yes, before Huhne’s wife allegedly showed the world how good he was at getting his points across, it was Huhne who was seen as the man to watch. Think of that, and thank heavens for Nick Clegg.

I say again, save the Cleggster from extermination!"