The Top 10: Statements that came back to bite their author

Verbal hostages to fortune for which a large ransom had to be paid

Nick Clegg famously pledged to not increase university tuition fees (PA)

This list was inspired by a colleague who asked where the phrase “burning injustices” in a Jeremy Corbyn speech originally came from (it was a reference to Theresa May’s words in Downing Street when she became prime minister). And thanks to Jonathan Portes, who proposed a similar, overlapping Top 10 of people whose most famous statement, in their field of expertise, was wrong – which certainly applies to the first two.

1. “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” Irving Fisher (described by Joseph Schumpeter as “the greatest economist the United States has ever produced”), nine days before the Wall Street Crash, 1929. Nominated by Jonathan Portes.

2. “Earlier on today apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she had heard a hurricane was on the way. Well, if you are watching, don’t worry, there isn’t.” Michael Fish, BBC meteorologist, hours before the storm of 15-16 October 1987. Thanks also to Nick Rich and Henry Peacock.

3. “Read my lips: no new taxes.” George HW Bush, 1988 Republican Convention. Four years later, he lost to Bill Clinton. “I’ve often thought that Bush was treated slightly unfairly over that one – and I’m not a natural supporter of either Bush president. The 1990 budget compromise that destroyed Bush’s popularity didn’t introduce any new taxes; it merely increased some existing ones,” said Alasdair Brooks.

4. “It is time to return to those core values, time to get back to basics: to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family, and not shuffling it off on other people and the state.” John Major, Conservative Party conference, 1993. “These words were taken to refer to the private behaviour of MPs and spectacularly rebounded,” said Steven Fogel.

5. “If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play, so be it.” Jonathan Aitken, chief secretary to the Treasury, announcing in 1995 he was suing The Guardian for alleging the Saudis paid for a £1,000 stay at the Paris Ritz. But he was jailed for perjury. “He is back to being a minister, but of the cloth, not government,” said Paul T Horgan.

6. “No more boom and bust.” Gordon Brown tried to insist he always said “no more Tory boom and bust”, but he didn’t, and it wouldn’t have made it any better if he had. Nominated by Mike Gapes.

7. “We are all in this together.” George Osborne, speech to Conservative Party conference, 2009. Nominated by Matt Chorley.

8. “I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.” Pledge in 2010 election signed by Nick Clegg and most Liberal Democrats.

9. “Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice – stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband.” David Cameron, 4 May 2015.

10. “John McDonnell, I will join you. I will lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop the construction of that third runway.” Boris Johnson on his election as MP for Uxbridge, 2015. Thanks to Henry Peacock.

Several nominations for Theresa May: “Strong and stable” (Howard Dawber); “Nothing has changed” (FlossSays); “We will be leaving the EU on 29 March 2019” (108 times: Jonathan Isaby). And one from Richard Evans for Richard Nixon in 1973: “There can be no whitewash at the White House.” But I don’t think that did his reputation any additional damage.

Next week: Things that are not “the”, such as Handel’s Messiah.

Coming soon: Units of measurement, after a US news report: “A sinkhole roughly the size of six to seven washing machines has closed the northbound lanes of State Line Road in Kansas City, Missouri.”

Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk