Farewell to Westminster: I’m the last political editor left not to have been to university

Retirement is wasted on old people. Which is why in seven days I will trade being Political Editor of the Evening Standard for a gap decade. After 32 years at Westminster, I’m savouring every last moment, especially the return of high-octane gossip after Covid hibernation. There is no better company than politicians and journalists, and I’ve been lucky to spend half a lifetime with both. People ask which MPs and ministers I most admire. The answer is those who answer their phones at 7am.