Gordon was the guest interviewee at the opening event of the Edinburgh Book festival this morning. Interviewed by author Ian Rankin the PM told the audience that he’d gone to university aged 16 as the result of a school “hot-housing” experiment which had later been dumped. “I’m the result of a failed experiment….” he said.

Before the interview, as the audience waited, they were regaled with an appropriate piece of music, “The Dying Swan” by Tchaikovsky.

Guido still feels no pity.