OPINION - Keir Starmer should steal Tory clothes and wear the flag of St George proudly

Like a spectral invigilator, George Orwell is never far from our political discourse. Yesterday, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer dramatised respectively the sharp distinction he drew in a famous 1945 essay between nationalism and patriotism. The Prime Minister, for his part, finally ensured that his Rwanda bill will become law, after a lengthy “ping pong” between the Commons and Lords ended late last night. At a press conference earlier in the day, he insisted that deportation flights would begin in 10 to 12 weeks, “no ifs, no buts”.