Chris Gayling is officially Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, hence when Blair was being booed and slow hand-clapped at the European parliament in Strasbourg yesterday, he stood in at PMQs against Geoff Hoon, who was himself standing in for Prescott (who chose not to be there to defend the education bill). Unofficially the ex-TV producer and spin merchant is the attack dog set upon New Labour sleeze. So he is pretty busy.

Cherie creaming off all the profits from a charity dinner? Grayling growls on the news shows (he is ex-BBC news and Channel 4). Byers lies, Grayling barks to the Parliamentary Standards Committee. Margaret Beckett uses the Queen’s flight more often than the Queen? Grayling demands the cabinet office counts her air-miles. Now he has got his teeth into the Blunkett son’s 3% DNA Bioscience shareholding. The shares are said to be worth some £300,000 (dubious). Blunkett claims to have been rewarded with the shares after only two weeks work! GGrrrr Grayling…