Muckrakers wondering about Blunkett’s influence peddling should look into his relationship with Indepen Consulting Ltd, Guido thinks it unusual that he was able, (presumably this was authorised), to take a private sector position with Whitehall lobbyists only a month after resigning as a minister. The ministerial code specifies a three month cooling off period for ex-ministers. It is even more eyebrow-raising given that some of Indepen Consulting’s clients possibly stand to earn billions out of ID cards and the information systems for the proposed central population register.

The Sheffield Socialist’s Belgravia and St Jame’s high-life puts a lot of financial pressure on him, so Gordon Brown’s crackdown on the use of trusts to avoid tax on share options presents an interesting challenge for Blunkett. It used to be said that money scandals brought down Labour politicians and sex scandals brought down Tories, in Blunkett you may get double the scandal.