Tom Watson today accused he government of being hasty in setting up an inquiry into SW1’s historic sex crimes. Haste, however, is not an accusation that can be levelled at the former Nonce Finder General. It turns out  super-sleuth Tom was told last October that 114 “potentially relevant files” concerning a possible Westminster child abuse scandal had “been presumed destroyed, missing or not found”.

Yet it only hit the news a week ago today, when Mark Sedwell told the Home Affairs Select Committee. Watson was told in a written answer from the Home Office last year, though he seems to have missed the shocking significance of the revelation.

Was Inspector Watson napping on the job, or too busy playing computer games?