From Greensplat to Urchfont, the inhabitants of the European constituency of South West England (which, incidentally, includes Gibraltar) will be canvassed by real personalities in the next few weeks. Ann Widdecombe, she of the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing, is going to be standing against Rachel Johnson, she of the 21st series of Celebrity Big Brother, to be a member of the European parliament.

Ann will be a candidate for the Brexit Party — usually known as Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party — and Rachel for Change UK (the Independent Group). Another possibility for southwestern voters will be Lord Adonis, standing on his own idiosyncratic version of the Labour ticket. This is, after all, an election that wasn’t supposed to be happening, for