Last night Channel 4 held a 90-minute live event starring Rishi, Liz, Tom, Penny and Kemi. Not a manufactured pop-band but the candidates for the Tory leadership. The first question was easy-peasy.
‘Is Boris Johnson honest?’
‘No,’ the obvious answer, was beyond them. They ducked and weaved and dodged and fudged. Except for Tom Tugendhat. ‘Honest?’ He bowed his head and shook it gravely. Massive applause.
Major Tom is known as a bit of a heartthrob among ladies of a certain age (over 90) and his manner is to bark out terse and meaningless soundbites, parade-ground style. ‘Clean break!… Ready to lead!… Government only works when it works for you!… Fresh start!… Ready to serve!’ At one point he yelped that he has a ‘clean face!’ Great. He knows where the soap dish is. His abiding theme is self-sacrifice. He ‘served’ in the army, he boasted, and he ‘served’ in parliament too. OK, but so did Robert Maxwell.
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