Meanwhile, right-wing Conservative Laurence Robertson has been collecting ammo for his own election fight in Tewkesbury. Mr Robertson has not had the happiest time since arriving in Parliament in 1997. After a year he found himself dismissed by the Daily Telegraph, as “a colourless if inoffensive man I not the most popular or most flamboyant boy in the class”. An attempt to add a bit of colour to his political profile y backing John Townend’s comments that immigrants were making Britain a “mongrel nation” ended in a humiliating apology.

So a parliamentary question gave him a chance to show that at least he was a diligent constituency MP: he asked the EducationSecretary “what steps he has taken to inform parents of the availability of nursery vouchers?” Erm, nursery vouchers were replaced four years ago, Mr Robertson.