Don’t tell John Prescott, but maybe socialists are socialists because they aren’t that good in a fight. Conversely, free marketeers may not actually have a sincere belief in the power of Adam Smith’s unseeing hand - and instead have a justified belief in the power of their clenched fist.

A study has found that weaker men are more likely to be in favour of redistributive taxation. The strong on the other hand, who in their cavemen past had no problems controlling both women and resources they had no intention of sharing, are far less likely to see the virtue of egalitarian social policies.

That is one interpretation of research by academics from Brunel University, who assessed 171 men for how buff they were – looking