THATCHER said there was no such thing as society, and 40 years on we live in a country gutted by that conceit.

The system failures we see across the public realm effectively withdraw social provision, forcing individuals and families (the two human units whose existence she did acknowledge) onto their own resources.

That might mean driving a car because there isn’t a reliable bus service, or taking out private insurance because the NHS can’t guarantee prompt treatment (private hospital capacity in London has risen 40 per cent since 2017, reflecting surging demand).