Michael Deacon: Jeremy Corbyn held a press conference with UB40 and I have no idea what’s going on any more

Three months ago, I stood on a boat with Nigel Farage as it was chased up and down the Thames by an enraged Bob Geldof on a pleasure cruiser. At the time, I felt reasonably certain that politics in 2016 was unlikely to throw up an occasion more surreal.

But perhaps I spoke too soon, because this afternoon Jeremy Corbyn called a press conference in London to announce that he’d secured the endorsement of Birmingham-born 1980s pop-reggae act UB40.

I went along, if only to prove to myself that it was really happening. Remarkably, it was. There, sitting beneath a large sign that read “UB4Corbyn”, were the Labour leader and five members of UB40. (There used to be others, but they left to form a separate band some years ago after an acrimonious split. I believe this is what is known in literary circles as “a metaphor”.)

“Thank you to UB40 for this incredible endorsement,” began Mr Corbyn, in all seriousness. The men from UB40 nodded graciously...