The LibDems wanted to abolish the Department for Trade and Industry, so New Labour, spinners to the core decided to do the same. Well, er, not exactly, they decided to abolish the name and replace it with the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry.

A name mocked by the CBI as “old-fashioned corporatism” (the CBI attacking corporatism, that is the kettle calling), the unions weren’t keen on the productivity bit either.

Alan Johnson declaimed all responsibility for the idea in the FT “I don’t know. It certainly wasn’t mine.” So who had the dippy idea of the DPEI? Was it Hewitt? Leaks to the usual places (see the box on the right).