Boris says that it’s Blair who “surely needs professional psychiatric help”, but others are genuinely worried about another politician. While the Deputy Prime Minister has been a bit gloomy over the last few years, family friends of the Cleggs are increasingly concerned by how low he has been since this month’s national drubbing at the polls. Those pictures of him looking drained and almost teary were authentic.

“He’s in a really bad place,” says one friend of Miriam. It has not gone unnoticed that Mrs Clegg made a rare appearance this week at Nick’s side during his fight-back speech on Monday. Normally Ms. Gonzalez makes a big deal out of the fact she is a successful career woman and the main breadwinner, steering clear from the day-to-day traditional duties of a party leader’s wife. “He’s sound. Even Nick’s greatest critics would struggle to argue he isn’t the most resilient individual”, Clegg’s spokesman assures us somewhat unconvincingly…

UPDATE: 

This event has a slight feel of melancholy + you look like a spat out Smartie Quentin Letts tells @nick_clegg

— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) June 16, 2014

Haha! Quentin Letts tells Clegg he seems melancholy, like a "spat-out smartie".

— Isabel Hardman (@IsabelHardman) June 16, 2014