Every decent person in the country will be filled with incandescent rage at the murder of little Preston Davey.

The cherubic 13-month-old was killed amid appalling sexual abuse by his adoptive father Jamie Varley, aided and abetted by his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley.

Yet again we must scrutinise, with nauseous hindsight, just how so many lethal mistakes were made by social workers, just as we have been forced to do in previous cases: Those of Peter ‘Baby P’ Connelly and Sara Sharif, to name but two.

After each death, the authorities wail ‘never again’. But to no avail.

The role of political correctness in this latest egregious case must not escape the very deepest interrogation.

Did ‘woke’ attitudes within social services mean there was a reluctance to challenge two gay adoptive fathers in order to avoid accusations of bigotry?

More broadly, why were multiple hospital trips – including one for a broken arm – overlooked and absurd cover stories believed?

Officials involved in this catalogue of incompetence are yet to even face disciplinary action, let alone the sack.

This is an all too familiar pattern that exposes the complacency that still thrives in some children’s services, despite all that has come before.

Unless this ‘we know best’ arrogance is confronted and eliminated, children will continue to die.

Socially lacking

After two years of torpid inaction and days from a make-or-break by-election, Keir Starmer is flailing for some kind of legacy.

But the Government’s imperfect plans to tackle the scourge of social media will not save his reputation.

Even ministers admit internet-savvy under-16s will quickly circumvent the ban.

But this is a challenge of the highest order. The Wild West social media landscape is exposing children to a wide range of horrors.

The conglomerates operating these web platforms revel in their untouchability. They are unregulated and unaccountable.

Parents are desperate to wean their children off the web – and in these circumstances it is sensible for the Government to step in.

It would allow parents to rightly explain to their offspring: ‘It’s against the law for you to use these sites.’

However, these welcome proposals need significant development to stand a chance of barring children from this toxic social media cesspool. Until then, these half-measures simply provide yet more evidence of Starmer’s weakness.

Invest in defence

A serious Prime Minister would surely experience a ‘eureka moment’ when this country’s enemies attempt to burn his house down.

But even in the wake of a series of despicable arson attacks on property connected with him – by stooges who were most likely linked to some shadowy Russian intelligence unit – Starmer is still in denial about the dangers facing this country.

His Government is providing less than half the defence funding boost required, yet spending extra billions on welfare.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer should ensure the funding plan meets all key tests to keep this country safe or ‘resign now and make way for a leader who can’.

Starmer will fail to heed her warning, of course. Even when the problem is right on his doorstep, still he cannot see it.