So many politicians strive to make the personal the political in their quest to explain how their own life story relates to what they want to do. The hope is that in humanising themselves they become more likeable; the reality is more often realised in clunky cliches than powerful stories. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is something of a rarity in cheerily poking fun at himself for labouring his status as the “son of a bus driver”.
One of Rishi Sunak’s favourite points of reference is his daughters. Back in July 2022, he said that “as a father of two girls” he wanted them to feel safe walking at night. Last November, the prime minister told voters he had taken safety for granted and wanted his daughters to be able to walk to school safely. In April, he wrote that “as a father, women’s rights are important to me”.
