Johnson lost his first vote by 27.
The Commons take control again, and Johnson is now, with his majority gone, is seeking an election.
Whilst the feeling might be one of victory there is a definite sting in the tail.
Johnson has purged the party of 'trouble makers', meaning any replacements after an election are hard liners. And they will be in safe seats. Possibly many of which will be careerists parachuted in.
The party has split. The civil war is over.
Parliament has just lost some of its very best minds in the process. That bodes ill for us all in the long term. The polarisation has just jacked up a level. The centre has fallen even more.
There are no more moderates.
Polling suggests that Johnson won't be blamed for any of this and that's significant.
Take note of this tweet
Douglas Carswell @Douglascarswell
Boris Vs the political Parasites. Guess who wins across suburban Britain?
The optics are not about what you or I are seeing. Nor about what any of the politicial pundits are seeing.
The Democrats and the Media failed to see Trump coming... And this is what now concerns me. His optics are not bad with his core and targets.
Will Johnson be able to have his election?
If yes, I fear the polls look good for Johnson. People want 'Brexit over with' and don't want another extension. They may or may not understand the ramifications of that.
If no, then what? Johnson can do anything with his numbers. Does that mean potentially two governments and the Queen stuck in the middle? Or does he limp on, with no intention of doing anything but take us over the cliff by counting down the clock?
Or something else?
The Brexit Party and Conservatives now seem to have formally united one way or another. They have aligned with current politics alike the divided Opposition parties.
Tonight the penny might have dropped with a few Labour MPs too. They want May's deal to return. Its the only deal there is, in the absence of a Johnson plan and a Labour / Opposition plan. Too little too late...
This isn't going away as an issue either. Stoking up anger against the rebel alliance is a long term project for the fascist right.
Is tonight’s result a victory? Yes, but my fear is its potential to be a Pyrrhic Victory.
The battle today may have been won, but Johnson still looks set to win...