I know I’ve asked this of other people before, but just how is John Prescott still in office? He’s lost his job yet kept his salary and perks, slept with his secretary, puched a voter, done allegedly dodgy political deals without declaring an interest, been photographed playing croquet when he should have been working, been roundly mocked for having two jags, and yet still appears to be quite happy in office. People said Tony was made of Teflon because nothing every stuck: Well this is one Slippery Johnny, with no-one ever quite able to pin him down long enough for him to lost his job.

Even if, as it is rumoured, he has some good dirt on Tony Blair and so can’t be fired, he must be able to see the damage he’s doing the government and the Labour party, and want to resign in the best interests of a turbulent, troubled party which needs less scandal not more. Surely he can’t be seriously thinking about disrupting the smooth and orderly transition by running for PM himself, because there’s far too much dirt on him already.

He can’t keep on going like this forever: Johnny must split from the government soon, if only so the party gives an appearance that it’s doing something. Or is this the greater problem with New Labourites, as we saw with Charles Clarke? They’re so obsessed with themselves that they won’t resign for the greater good, they have to be pulled off the government scene in a most undignified way?