The second problem is the poor handling of the revelations. We speak not just of Mrs Miller trying to bully the Commissioner into changing her report, the pressure put on journalists to drop the matter, or the Culture Secretary’s insultingly brief apology to the House. What will equally irritate the public is the feeling that Mrs Miller is being protected by her political friends. Chief among them, a Prime Minister who jeopardises his image as a fair and capable leader by so resolutely standing by someone in whom the public’s confidence is evaporating fast. There is some suspicion that he may move her in the next reshuffle. But that could be months away, allowing the scandal to slide on through the Euro elections.