Time was when a demure badge — or, for the flamboyant, a satin rosette — was enough to advertise your allegiance. Blame social media, blame Trump and his Maga caps, but in an era of tribalism, TikTok and ubiquitous tote bags, those subtly signalling days are long gone. Now, if you want to wear your politics on your sleeve — or your midriff, or your head — you need a Lib Dem bum bag or a Reform UK hard hat.
Labour’s “Never Kissed a Tory” T-shirt kicked off the modern merch wars more than a decade ago, although Keir Starmer does not approve of them or own one; the chief centrist dad has confessed to kissing a Tory or two in his time. This election,
