THE atmosphere surrounding the Conservative leadership race continues to get murkier and murkier, if that is even possible, with the latest allegations around Boris Johnson’s personal life having emerged to entertain and/or horrify us.

That the former London mayor has a row with his significant other should hardly be an impediment to the leadership; how many people in this country could truthfully say that they have never had heated words with their partner?

But, you might say, Johnson is seeking the leadership of one of the country’s biggest political parties, and is within shouting distance of the country’s most senior political office. Should we not expect better behaviour from someone in that position?

Well, actually, why should we expect anything good of someone who is trying to advance themselves in politics? There is a long-standing traditions of regarding politicians as grifters, thieves and rogues, which has certainly not died away.

And what of the conduct of those neighbours who recorded the row? Calling the police, out of concern for the welfare of Johnson’s girlfriend is something that any decent person would do; releasing a transcript to the Guardian is something else again.

Already, there has been speculation on line that Johnson had been targeted by a bugging operation organised, presumably, by his political opponents. Such rumours are not going to go away, and the neighbours who made the recording may well be in for a long period of sustained scrutiny.

In any case, recording the neighbours sounds like something that used to be done in the old East Germany, not in the comfortable suburbs of London. Who will want to live next door to these people in future?

The grim reality is that politics as a whole is a fairly sordid business and attracts unsavoury people, people whose idea of a good time is to have the power to order other people around.

We should not be surprised that those involved in politics should be among the first to resort to unsavoury tactics.

Why should we allow these people any power at all?