Ten Downing Street, when asked whether Tony Blair “deserves” the knighthood recently granted him, replied that it had no part in the decision. It belonged only to the Queen.
Yet Keir Starmer eagerly smarmed for Blair: he had “vastly improved the country”. He didn’t even skirt the question in the obvious way, by pointing out that such medieval “honours” are always in due course given to former prime ministers, so merit has nothing to do with it.