If Boris Johnson had any vision he would invest in people, not buildings | Simon Jenkins

The prime minister can’t resist his hi-vis and hard hat, but spending on quality of life and culture would be better for our communities

What do politicians desperate for headlines always promise? They promise to build something. On the day I heard my penniless local youth club was about to close, Boris Johnson offered a staggering £100m every week for 20 years to build just one new railway, HS2.

Last weekend it was announced that two-thirds of small youth clubs in England were facing closure, wit...