The environment secretary tried in vain to explain to protesters that they weren’t angry about tax, but Tory neglect

It’s an ill wind, and all that. For most of the last week, the political agenda has been hijacked by a billionaire coming down from a ketamine high who had just discovered a child sexual abuse case that had been widely reported in this country for the past 12 years. Cue rightwing politicians indulging in competitive brown-nosing as they pretended they had always been interested in grooming gangs while the government tried to point out there had already been an inquiry and it was probably better to implement its recommendations rather than waste time and money with another one.

This may have been an unwanted problem for Keir Starmer and the home secretary, who took the brunt of the unedifying shitshow, but for every other minister it came as something of a relief. They could all ease themselves back into the new year, secure in the knowledge that for once no one was paying them any attention. Their screw-ups and local difficulties could slide under the radar. In government, that is known as living the dream.