I know it’s annoying when hacks go on about does sleaze really cut through tho, but this is whyhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> contrary to popular belief it’s *not* that the BBC just hasn’t reported it enough -people *are* v aware now. They think Tories are sleazy & PM not honest https://twitter.com/steven_swinford/status/1387880884230148100">https://twitter.com/steven_sw...

What’s broken is the link btwn ‘you’re sleazy’ & ‘so I’m not voting for you’. can argue all day about why - something Labour’s done wrong? Sleaze already priced in for Johnson? Tories still delivering for them otherwise? - but honest starting point is...

...to ask yourself what you’ve explained away or chosen to forget or furiously denied in the teeth of all the evidence about a politician you otherwise agreed with ideologically. Tho I accept that’s a lot less comfortable than blaming the news

To be clear I think people *should* care v much & as a columnist I can argue that they should. But years of reporting (not to mention BJ’s entire career to date) taught me that they often don’t.