It poured down as Jezza, Watso, Johnners and Gloria aka the Four Tops performed in front of a big red bus.

It was the launch of Labour In’s battle bus, which, tellingly perhaps, did not appear to have any windows, and which will tour the country for the next six weeks in a similar exercise to the Boris express - only for the opposite cause.

The location was Doon St in London’s concrete jungle of the South Bank; precariously close to being Doom St.

As the bank of cameras clicked amid the drips, Tom Watson noted how one member of Her Majesty’s soaked press corps was being shielded by a purple brolly. The deputy leader thanked the hack for bringing a Ukip umbrella to a Labour event; in fact, it was a prayer book society umbrella, which, one might suggest, is a world away from the Faragists.

Anyway, amid all the serious politicking about how workers’ rights, the environment, investment and jobs would be better protected by staying part of the European brotherhood, Watso quipped what he was really looking forward to in the latter part of the campaign was to hear his chum Alan Johnson, the party’s musical In campaign chief, singing “I’m in with the In crowd” in front of the gathered hacks.

Before the bus went on its happy six-week travels across the country, Jezza, juggling his paper notes, spelt out why he had changed his mind on the euro club. As he did so, a workman in a yellow gilet barked from across the road: “We want out, Jeremy!”

Jezza made the case for the In crowd by saying Britain needed to be in the Brussels bloc to maintain workers’ rights from corporate greed, fighting cyber-crime and climate change and stop global companies from trying to evade taxes.

“You don’t defend human rights, justice and the environment without working across national borders,” spluttered the party chief amid the downpour. Socialism and solidarity were the key sentiments as the workman was joined by a workmate and continued to sound off.

“Going it alone won’t help them and won’t help us,” insisted the chief comrade; he was talking about our continental cousins, not the bellowing workmen from across the way. I think.

Johnners later quipped: “You have been listening to the Four Tops…”

In the wake of those wonderful election results, it came as something of a surprise[not] that the bearded leftie decided not to take any questions from the huddled splash of journalists.

With no words, it was time for pictures and Jezza, surrounded by a phalanx of wide-eyed, red sweat-shirted young Labourites beaming at the cameramen.

As click followed click, the Labour leader told the gathering of jostling cyclopses: “Go left to right. No, no. Right to left.” Confused about the direction ahead? Jezza, momentarily, seemed to be.