How to fail upwards

Steam, which is largely insubstantial, rises. The same goes for soap suds, methane bubbles and numerous politicians. We naively consider 21st-century Britain a meritocracy, yet serial failures still float to the top of our public life.

It has been a good year for these latter-day Widmerpools. Two changes of prime minister provided rich openings. One failer-upper made it all the way to 10 Downing Street; another leads HM Opposition. They are not just in parliamentary politics. In the civil service, journalism, art, football, business, the church and elsewhere, duffers drift upwards, grinning inanely while the rest of us gasp: ‘How did that happen?’

Resistance is pointless. We should embrace these lemons as part of the serendipity of life. Failer-uppers give hope to us all. Hail, therefore, the following paladins of bungling:

Liz Truss: one minute she was best known for making a daft speech about cheese, next she was our prime minister. Had everyone forgotten her stint as justice secretary? It made Chris Grayling’s time in that role look illustrious.