Chris Riddell

The phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ might have been coined for Chris Riddell. His drawing of Dominic Raab, Suella Braverman and Michael Gove in front of a poster declaring ‘You don’t have to be callous, cruel or incompetent to work here, but it helps’, packs a punch. 

The caricatures are pin sharp, their accessories on point – Gove holds a bra bearing the words ‘PPE procurement’, Braverman clasps a plane with ‘Asylum claims’ written down the side and the wing falling off, and Raab is about to rip up a sheaf of ‘bullying allegations’. Three skeletons gurn from round a cupboard door, an amusing counterpoint to another poster proclaiming Rishi Sunak’s commitment to ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ in government. 

A cartoon of a naked Boris Johnson walking away, identifiable by his flabby bottom and artfully ruffled blond thatch, his crown (‘World King’ emblazoned on its ermine) toppled, and his ‘Dishonours List’ (featuring Baroness Kangaroo Anus and Baroness Intern) cast aside, exposes the departing PM as the emperor with no clothes. 

The judges praised Riddell’s “incisive satire,” whose “richness and depth keep you interested beyond a quick glance,” adding that the cartoons could stand as a historical record in future.