When Philip Hammond tried to sell the cuts package to the people of the north-east on Question Time last night he mentioned a deal with Hitachi to build high speed trains in the area. Jobs were promised, but Guido couldn’t help ponder why the business park in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, that will be at the heart of new project, sounded so familiar.

The penny dropped this afternoon – the Durham Green development project that built the park was caught up with an blast from the past. Two directors of the company were used by David Abrahams to channel money to the Labour Party, around £77,000, in 2005. Mysteriously planning objections to the project disappeared shortly after. Abrahams has been spotted back on the Westminster scene a lot in recent months and what a lovely coincidence that his little project has done so well…