Has the British political class reached peak hard hat? Margaret Thatcher was an early adopter, touring construction sites at Battersea power station and Canary Wharf helmeted like Britannia, sending out messages about building the future and getting the job done. Tony Blair and David Cameron enthusiastically accumulated hi-vis jackets, goggles and boots in line with advances in health and safety rules and Boris Johnson loved to parade around in the stuff like a less toned David Hodo from Village People. The fetish has reached the point where there’s a Twitter account, @PPEinPPE, about people with degrees in philosophy, politics and economics who wear personal protective equipment.
Last week, Liz Truss managed to roleplay Bob the Builder in the middle of a party conference, which may be a first, but as so much that she touches turns to dross, the look may at last have lost its shine. Then again, the Thatcher-blessed project at Battersea spectacularly failed and the original developers of Canary Wharf went colossally bust, so perhaps it’s a fitting outfit for someone set on crashing the country.
