BLUNDER THAT GAVE US THE HUMP

CHALLENGED to name his biggest political clanger after 45 years in Westminster, Tory grandee Ken Clarke says: ‘I’m always very guarded about that. Nowadays, politicians are not allowed to get away with their confessions of failure.’

But he did confess to the Durham university newspaper, the Palati- nate, that he regretted, in his first departmental job (in the transport ministry) introducing much-hated road humps.

Most people, though, would say his biggest blunder was his obsession with trying to get Britain to join the euro (which cost him his chances of becoming Tory leader).