Mr. Searle became a satirist, he once said, because ‘in the late '30s, things in general and politics in particular were no longer neatly divided into things black and white. On top of this,’ he added, ‘there was the irresistible impulse to draw. I cannot remember wanting to be anything else other than an artist.’

Mr. Searle became a satirist, he once said, because ‘in the late '30s, things in general and politics in particular were no longer neatly divided into things black and white. On top of this,’ he added, ‘there was the irresistible impulse to draw. I cannot remember wanting to be anything else other than an artist.’