Saying sorry to Liverpool is a politician’s rite of passage

As Paul Nuttall, the Ukip leader, has recently discovered, there usually comes a point in a British political career when you have to apologise to Liverpool. The origins of this custom are obscure, rather like the rule that the Cap of Maintenance must accompany the Sovereign to the State Opening of Parliament, but it must not be questioned. It is no good asking why Liverpool should receive more apologies than, for instance, Runcorn or Milton Keynes: you must just say sorry. Rather than having to stammer an inconvenient ‘mea culpa’ at a by- election it would be more sensible to get your apology in first. I suggest that all election addresses and other political products should automatically contain a short line on every page saying ‘We apologise to Liverpool’, like notices that announce ‘We are an Equal Opportunities employer’ or ‘May contain nuts’.

This is an extract from Charles Moore’s Notes, which originally appeared in this week’s Spectator