Mike

THE nicknames that politicians choose for themselves seldom work.

They often signify a perceived virtue the public doesn’t recognise.

When Iain Duncan Smith was Tory party leader he described himself as ‘the quiet man’ in response to criticism of his lack of charisma.

Presumably he thought the ‘strong and silent type’ makeover would convince people he was Westminster’s answer to Gary Cooper. However come High Noon it was IDS who got the bullet from the party faithful.

Then there was ‘Teflon Tony’ Blair. To be fair that wasn’t the name he gave himself, it was chosen by others struck by the fact no Labour scandal seemed to affect his popularity ratings at the beginning of his time as PM.

Blair’s more folksy version was to describe himself as a ‘straight sort of guy’ coined a few months into his premiership as a result of the Bernie Ecclestone affair.

After Ecclestone, then boss of Formula One, donated £1million to Labour, the Government announced F1 would be exempt from a ban on