What’s the opposite of Teflon? It might sound like the first line of a joke but, for those of us who hoped that the last general election would usher in a new era of political peace and stability, there is nothing funny about the punchline. The opposite of Teflon is, or rather was, Sir Keir Starmer.

We talk a lot about the politicians to whom nothing sticks. The ones with the ability to outrun or outmanoeuvre scandals, missteps and even the consequences of their own delinquency or uselessness. Donald Trump obviously has it in spades. From being recorded talking of women and boasting about how he could “grab them by the pussy”, to starting wars after running on a promise not to start any wars, he seems almost uniquely untouchable by conduct that would swiftly end other careers.

Boris Johnson had it. When his colleagues finally ran out of patience with his obvious moral baseness, it was not over the gravest offences: misleading the late Queen over the unlawful prorogation of Parliament or partying in Downing Street while his own legislation prevented the rest of us from attending loved ones’ funerals. Instead, it was Downing Street’s dishonest denials that he knew that a man he promoted to deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher, had been accused of........

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