Why are Britain’s politicians so hopeless? From Tory fantasists to Labour deniers, Westminster has driven out the talented, the imaginative and the honest. The Conservative Party destroyed itself with Brexit and a cult of property and privilege. Labour has buried its belief in care, collective purpose and truth under Treasury orthodoxy. Both parties repel intelligence in different ways, one by demanding belief in the impossible, the other by denying what’s obviously true.

In this video, I explain how mediocrity became the political norm, why ideology now drives out ability, and how belief in truth and public purpose could still renew our democracy.