Boris Johnson should realise that a little empathy over the plight of those flooded will go a long way

Yes, such trips don’t always achieve much, but the people of Britain deserve a prime minister that can recognise suffering, writes Janet Street-Porter

Water is bailed out of flooded homes after the River Wye burst its banks in Ross-on-Wye (AFP)

When your home is under six feet of water, an official visit is probably the last thing you need. Pumps, sandbags and cash would be preferable to a handshake and mumbled sympathy.

And who benefits from these staged interactions? Often they are contrived photo-opportunities for the media by politicians seeking approval. Boris Johnson is master of this dark art – only last week he posed in front of a train, hoping his cheery thumbs-up and silly expression would distract voters from the unpalatable truth that the project would cost about twice as much as originally forecast.

Boris has been bred to bask in the limelight, and yet the recent bad weather has seen Britain’s blond bombshell uncharacteristically elusive. I’m beginning to think that Carrie Symonds has some “news” or that (now his divorce settlement is finalised) B and C are plotting a rebranding exercise to rival Meghan and Harry.