Politicians should stop trying to be trendy and 'champion local makers', says fashion designer Patrick Grant

Londoner’s Diary

Rishi Sunak in Adidas Sambas, Sadiq Khan sporting a green linen suit. Politicians are desperate to seem trendy at the moment, but fashion designer Patrick Grant reckons they should pack it in. “I feel like politicians should be supporting their constituents, so if you live in a constituency that makes jumpers, I think you should wear jumpers made in your constituency every day, even when it’s boiling. And if you are the MP for New Tredegar in South Wales, every day you should be wearing pants made in the factory in New Tredegar.” Grant was at Hatchard’s last night launching his new book Less, about how and why we should buy fewer, better clothes.

“I remember a few years ago a politician was given a load of flak for wearing a Savile Row suit, and instead other politicians would go, ‘oh well, I’m dressing in Marks and Spencer, I’m much more a man of the people’. But I feel like you shouldn’t be ashamed to be wearing things that are made here, that are going to support jobs and also are going to last for a thousand years. So my one critique of politicians is they should be dressing with a view to doing some good for their constituents directly by buying stuff that’s made where they live.” What did he make of Khan’s suit? “It’s hard to pull off a green suit,” said Grant, “it’s hard not to look like Robin Hood, but I thought Sadiq managed it OK.” Of the Prime Minister’s Sambas he said: “It’s slightly less cringey than Rishi not knowing how to pay for petrol.”

Elphicke defects to ‘disgraceful’ Labour party

Tremendously Right-wing MP Natalie Elphicke was carrying a lot of baggage when she crossed the floor of the Commons to join Labour yesterday. She had been one of the most hardline Tory MPs, regularly attacking Labour and once, during Christmas lunch, banged the drum against small boat crossings on Twitter. As MP for Dover, Elphicke is a border-control obsessive, worrying about arrivals of everything from people to ferrets: “The Government must put in funding at the border to deal with the problem and stop the smuggling of puppies, kittens and, indeed, ferrets,” she has argued in the Commons. Other preoccuptions include the footballer and free school meals advocate Marcus Rashford (“should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics”), Labour (“unpatriotic” and “disgraceful”) and, er, “confused and muddled” Sir Keir Starmer. Will she be made to eat her words?

Speccie blasts Boris for environmental turn

Years before he was PM, Boris Johnson’s career peaked when he held “the best job in London” (his words) as editor of The Spectator. His affection for the mag has continued but lately it is not reciprocated. After Johnson took up a role co-chairing a climate consultancy, editor Fraser Nelson has laid into him. “This is the same Boris Johnson who as a newspaper columnist and editor of this magazine held up the green establishment to ridicule with delicious regularity,” The Speccie’s latest leader column zings. “He’s earned £8 million since leaving office, so why does he need to set himself up as a green consultant?” It goes on: “He is writing his memoirs, which might be a public service if he can explain why he ditched Tory principles when it came to lockdown, gender, net zero and even public spending.” In his final column as editor, Johnson wrote: “The Spectator is always right.” Will he reconsider?