Politicians don’t often lie. Their ambition is to tell the truth

Cynics think that politicians lie all the time. In reality, though, an outright lie is quite rare. Most of the time, politicians tell the truth. Just not necessarily the whole truth.

As a rule, politicians treat the truth the way a professional photographer treats an ageing actor: they show it in a flattering light, and at a favourable angle.

There was a fine example of this yesterday when Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, was being questioned by the Treasury select committee. The committee wanted to know whether Mr Sunak was going to break the Tories’ manifesto pledge not to raise various taxes.

“Our ambition is to deliver on all the priorities that we set out,” replied Mr Sunak smoothly. And then, when he was asked again: “We have an ambition to deliver on the promises we made …”

An ambition, clearly, is not quite the same as a promise. Mr Sunak told MPS that decisions on tax would be made “in future Budgets”, and he begged them not to “read things into what I say [at this hearing] … People should not infer, ‘Oh, you didn’t rule this out’ or ‘You didn’t rule this in’.”

But of course, when a minister doesn’t give a straight answer to a straight question, inferring is what people are bound to do.

And when a minister says it’s merely the Government’s “ambition” to keep the promises it made, people are liable to think, “Well, clearly you aren’t going to keep them, then.”

Again, though, it has to be said: Mr Sunak didn’t actually lie. He just put some make-up on the truth, and told it to breathe in.

Another example of this was heard at PMQS. Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer was asking about a new Government report on Covid-19. Unimpressed by Boris Johnson’s answers, Sir Keir asked him whether he’d actually read it. Mr Johnson looked deeply affronted.

“Mr Speaker,” he retorted, “I am of course aware of the report!”

That reply should be an inspiration to schoolboys throughout the land.

“Jenkins! This essay on Wuthering Heights is hopeless. Did you actually read the book?”

“I am well aware of the book, sir.” “But did you read it?”

“It has certainly been read, sir.” “By you?”

“You asked us to read the books we’re studying this term, sir, and that very much remains my ambition.”

Again: not actually a lie. Just the answer to a slightly different question.