Simon Kuper

And then you'd have elderly male politician bringing along 22-year-old female intern for five-course lunch. And it was all the way it worked. It was done with impunity. And you, I mean, the famous case is François Fillon, who was prime minister in France for several years. He supposedly employed his wife, a Welsh woman actually, Penelope, as an employee. And all the MPs in France were doing this.

And then you'd have elderly male politician bringing along 22-year-old female intern for five-course lunch. And it was all the way it worked. It was done with impunity. And you, I mean, the famous case is François Fillon, who was prime minister in France for several years. He supposedly employed his wife, a Welsh woman actually, Penelope, as an employee. And all the MPs in France were doing this.

You employ a spouse, the spouse doesn't really have to turn up to work, but you ascribe some massive salary to her. So Penelope Fillon got, I think, into the millions of euros over many, many years for work she never did. Wow. And so all this is reformed. There's stricter rules. The politicians whine about it. I spoke to a restaurateur who works near the Assemblée Nationale.

You employ a spouse, the spouse doesn't really have to turn up to work, but you ascribe some massive salary to her. So Penelope Fillon got, I think, into the millions of euros over many, many years for work she never did. Wow. And so all this is reformed. There's stricter rules. The politicians whine about it. I spoke to a restaurateur who works near the Assemblée Nationale.

And he says, yeah, politicians don't have any money anymore. So I now have this set price lunch for 49 euros because he said they could only charge 50 euros on expenses. So it kind of wiped out a lot of the luxury industry that had accrued around it. And I mean, French people still whine and complain about their politicians all the time, but it has actually cleaned things up a bit.

And he says, yeah, politicians don't have any money anymore. So I now have this set price lunch for 49 euros because he said they could only charge 50 euros on expenses. So it kind of wiped out a lot of the luxury industry that had accrued around it. And I mean, French people still whine and complain about their politicians all the time, but it has actually cleaned things up a bit.

Nobody's willing to admit it, but French politics is a bit cleaner.

Nobody's willing to admit it, but French politics is a bit cleaner.

It's true that in the last couple of years, I mean, of course, ahead of an election, amounts have spiralled to levels that we've never seen before. But if you say £130 million a year, that is similar to what the parties combined probably bring in in a good year when there's not an election. So I don't think they would have much cause to whine too much about that.

It's true that in the last couple of years, I mean, of course, ahead of an election, amounts have spiralled to levels that we've never seen before. But if you say £130 million a year, that is similar to what the parties combined probably bring in in a good year when there's not an election. So I don't think they would have much cause to whine too much about that.

Well, I think the MP salary is now £91,000. Yeah. So that's about two and a half times the average wage. So if you say that to the average Briton and someone like Walsall or Nunez and where I was before the election covering what was supposed to be the election campaign, they'll say 91 grand. You're kidding me. Most people in Britain think MPs are just minting it. It's incredible amounts of money.

Well, I think the MP salary is now £91,000. Yeah. So that's about two and a half times the average wage. So if you say that to the average Briton and someone like Walsall or Nunez and where I was before the election covering what was supposed to be the election campaign, they'll say 91 grand. You're kidding me. Most people in Britain think MPs are just minting it. It's incredible amounts of money.

The problem is we have two economies. We have the London economy, especially the high-end London economy for educated people, where 91 grand isn't that much money. And especially if you're a conservative, they tend to have richer friends, private school friends who are making millions as lawyers or hedge funders. They think, 91 grand, I can't possibly live on that.

The problem is we have two economies. We have the London economy, especially the high-end London economy for educated people, where 91 grand isn't that much money. And especially if you're a conservative, they tend to have richer friends, private school friends who are making millions as lawyers or hedge funders. They think, 91 grand, I can't possibly live on that.

Sir Johnson, in Downing Street, is complaining without irony that on the Prime Minister's salary of about 150 grand, he can't afford to live.

Sir Johnson, in Downing Street, is complaining without irony that on the Prime Minister's salary of about 150 grand, he can't afford to live.

And he doesn't seem to understand, although, of course, he's a very good communicator, he doesn't seem to understand that to average British people, this is an unfathomable amount. And the thing is, he's comparing himself not to average British people. You compare yourself to Notting Hill. So... The 91 grand means completely different things inside the Beltway, as it were, and outside.

And he doesn't seem to understand, although, of course, he's a very good communicator, he doesn't seem to understand that to average British people, this is an unfathomable amount. And the thing is, he's comparing himself not to average British people. You compare yourself to Notting Hill. So... The 91 grand means completely different things inside the Beltway, as it were, and outside.

That's what happened to London. London became the city in Europe with the most rich people, while our political and public realm decayed and became poorer.

That's what happened to London. London became the city in Europe with the most rich people, while our political and public realm decayed and became poorer.