“Rules for thee but not for me” is an enduring part of British social stratification, while I’m glad Hancock’s resigned the time for an honourable exit was months ago. There’s a real notion among members of British high society that they’re exempt from the rules they impose upon little people, and while Hancock’s actions are undoubtedly contemptible I think this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to political immorality during the pandemic.

How can we expect people to follow social distancing rules and shoulder the burden of their resulting social and economic harm when the rule’s architects don’t follow them, seeing them as something just for the plebs to obey? It makes a mockery of the law to prosecute private citizens under the Coronavirus Act when the very people responsible for that law show such flagrant disregard for it. It’s like finding out the chief advocate of Prohibition is a habitual pisshead.