Image: AP Photo/Matt York.

And there was me thinking Boris Johnson was an original thinker.

Clearly his aerial antics at the Olympics a few months ago were a ruse to perpetuate the myth that he’s just a posh, vaguely confused buffer who couldn’t possibly do as much damage in a position of authority as someone with half a brain obviously can.

The truth is, he just nicked the idea off Richard Branson, who was prompting questions about his own rope handling competency as long ago as last October.

Bad Boris! No Downing St for you!