Blundering Boris Johnson has no one to blame but himself for the miry clay into which he is sinking.
Sleaze entered the lexicon during John Major’s tenure as a Tory PM but now it’s back to the extent that even he is shocked enough to speak out.
The greed of MPs such as Sir Geoffrey Cox, making thousands out of advising an overseas government on how best to defend itself from allegations of corruption, knows no depths.
But he is not a single exception.
Ministers like Nadhim Zahawi earned £1.3million from an oil company while working as an MP.
The full list of Tories on the take runs into millions of pounds.
Of course politics, like business and many other walks of life, benefits from people having wide experience and expertise in other areas.
There does not need to be an outright ban on MPs taking second jobs but political parties could discourage their MPs from pursuing a side hustle.
Parliamentarians should be in no doubt about what their first job is –serving the people who elected them.
The Tories have demeaned and undermined the ideal of public service with their tawdry MP-for-hire signs behind the honourable titles they assume in office.
If being an MP is such an honour, then the voters who put politicians there should be respected with solid representation and not by part-timers prostituting the access and influence the public have bestowed on them.
It's time to reward nurses for heroic pandemic efforts
Few professions have worked harder during the last two years than nursing.
They were the backbone of our NHS throughout the pandemic despite shortages of protective equipment.
Lockdowns have come and gone but the immense pressure on the health service remains.
The backlog in operations and the scandal of ambulance waiting times just adds to the stress of an already intensive occupation.
Politicians have pledged additional funding for the NHS but it will take time to work through.
In the meantime our nurses feel overworked and underpaid.
It is little wonder members of the Royal College of Nursing yesterday voted in favour of strike action.
This is a decision they have not taken lightly.
Another vote will be required before any strikes take place but the seriousness of their intent cannot be underestimated.
Ministers must now reach a deal and make a pay offer that properly rewards all levels of nursing.
