Martyn Jones is widely regarded in the Palace of Westminster, by the few people who actually know who he is, as a bit of a self-important prat in a building full of self-important prats. He is suing the Mail on Sunday’s Simon Walters for libel on the grounds that an article exaggerated an incident in a report with the headline “Labour MP in foul-mouthed outburst”.

Before entering parliament Martyn Jones worked in a brewery and in a 20-year backbench career since he has hardly risen to the heights of recognition. Yet when a Portcullis House security guard asked him to show his ID card he went into a full blown “do-you-know-who-I-am” routine and told the guard, who was only doing his job, that “I don’t give a shit what you are. You should know who members of Parliament are.”

Giving evidence in court Jones claimed that only about 10% of MPs wore their passes and it was better for security to identify MPs by their faces. Is that true, do only 60 or so MPs wear their passes? How is it better for security not to wear a pass?