Brown looks even grumpier than normal. Blair just can’t be shifted (yet), unemployment is up, growth is down and now the Tories have got Blair II. Younger, more trusted and fresh – in short a nightmare for Gordon, who looks, and is, old and stale in comparison. Cameron facing down Paxman shows that they are dealing with someone who will not be easily crushed by a Scottish steamroller at the dispatch box.

Dig for dirt is the message from the Treasury to Old Queen Street. Various Labour sources tell me implausibly that they have “dirt” on Cameron. The nature of it varies, lately its been more sex than drugs, probably because the drugs thing has been lanced, but who cares about girls when he was younger? Even if it were to come out that Cameron was involved in gay sex orgies its doubtful it would make much difference. So long as he has been a good husband and father – and everything suggests he has – they will not be able to break him. But they will try, Labour can do little else. Cameron is the Brownite’s nightmare, he even claims their greatest enemy’s mantle – that he will continue the Blairite project, more choice, more private sector reforms of the welfare state, and something they can’t match – tax reductions.

UPDATE : The Sunday Torygraph has picked up the same vibe from the Treasury – with them getting a strangely worded decline of a Freedom of Information request. The article reports that the “Government’s treatment of the request has fuelled fears in the Cameron camp that officials are digging for dirt in preparation for a Cameron victory.” You bet they are. Never mind, he did actually pass positive vetting. Mind you, so did Guido once…