Performative Stupidity

It appears that Team Starmer may have to re-think its strategy of blaming Sadiq Khan whever it loses a by-election. The Government's supposed policy of refusing to allow low-traffic neighbourhoods is not, as it turns out, a heroic effort by Fishy Rishi and his Racist Van Man to protect plucky little drivers from the incursions of élitist quarter-hour metropolises. In fact, those low-traffic neighbourhood schemes which were submitted did not meet the requirements for funding, and the Minister for Pollution and Gridlock was not involved in the decisions to reject them. The fact that His Majesty's Government now feels the need to lie about not basing policy on a conspiracy theory speaks eloquently of its respect for the intelligence of the great British voter; and there seems every possibility that Team Starmer will strive to emulate the Conservatives in this as in so many other regards.