The problem with Tom Tugendhat’s ‘clean start’ manifesto

Tom Tugendhat has become the first of the Tory MPs depicted on our cover this week to confirm that he is running for Prime Minister. His strength: his military record and his consistency in opposing Boris Johnson which saw him left out in the cold for the last two years. His weakness: that he has never served in government in any role and critics say that he is therefore unfamiliar with the tough choices of government. Also, that prime minister is not an entry-level government job. But at this stage the candidates ought to be judged more in what they have to say in whether they’d be better than Johnson in running a government. His manifesto has some interesting claims but they’d need expanded upon before they can be seen as an agenda.

‘This nation needs a clean start’ he says – and we can expect more such ‘clean start’ language from candidates making a virtue of inexperience.