After being named as the Conservative party’s new leader, David Cameron was filmed patting his pregnant wife’s bump. Stage-managed or not, the image was of a family man who shares the aspirations of ordinary voters. As an Old Etonian, in charge of a party still widely distrusted to run public services, he has some convincing to do, not least with teachers. The profession, which in 1979 helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power, has since turned its back on the Tories, repulsed by policies that choose tax cuts and market-style competition over investment in schools.

If Mr Cameron is to win the support of teachers, he must promise to put continued investment in education before tax cuts. Our readers will be the more impressed if he also shows empathy by sending his children to well-resourced state schools, staffed by contented teachers.