‘Esther McVey ought to begin by telling us what a Minister of Common Sense does’

Remember when Esther McVey, the Government’s Minister for Common Sense, went on to Question Time and couldn’t explain what a Minister for ­Common Sense does?

Our Esther’s humiliated, stony face as presenter Fiona Bruce tried to make sense of it all – with the QT audience in stitches – was a picture. Esther’s attempted explanation had more twists and turns than a Eurovision rehearsal. She eventually gave up the ghost.

But now, five months later, Our Esther is back with a wheeze she has come up with to justify her role. Trouble is, it has served only to make her look even more out of touch. Esther wants to crack down on what she calls “Whitehall waste” by banning the hiring of civil service staff dedicated to boosting diversity, equality and inclusion.

In other words, Esther doesn’t want the civil service to look like the public it serves. No (more) women, no Black, Asian or people of mixed heritage. No disabled or working-class employees. Just the upper classes, the privileged, and more people who look like her. Trouble is, diversity drives would not exist if employment hiring policies were fair, just and stood up to scrutiny in 2024.

And let’s not kid ourselves, quite a few companies have tiptoed back to their pre- George Floyd positions of hiring staff from one demographic. It is no surprise so many out-of-touch ­businesses routinely scratch around and hold meetings to discuss why they are struggling when the simple truth is they are not reflective of the world outside their window.

So Esther – whose oxymoronic title rivals the name of her cabinet colleague James Cleverly – is simply saying the quiet part out loud. She has never been part of a diverse government. More a collection of Black and Brown ­gatekeepers willing to take the cash to do the bidding and articulate the positions of racist right wingers.

Our Esther, only marginally less ­entitled than the kind of person who’d park across two spaces, could easily focus on other areas of saving money. She could explain why she has received £39,000 from us taxpayers to rent a London flat over the past two years when her husband owns a flat a mile away from Westminster. She could explain to us why she claimed £8,750 in expenses for a personal photographer and PR person.

She could provide us with a rebate on her MP’s salary as she and her husband, Tory MP Philip Davies, have both enjoyed second jobs on a low-rent TV news opinion channel. In fact, funnily enough, it was announced only last week that Phil also has a £500-an-hour job as a consultant for a slot machine company. But perhaps Our Esther could start by telling us whether she’s finally figured out what a Minister for Common Sense does.