Keir Starmer was due to speak tomorrow afternoon at a high profile public event hosted by the Institute for Government, on Labour’s approach to meeting the challenges the country faces, on the eve of the Queen’s Speech. A chance to set the agenda for an important week.

The public event was scheduled to have included questions from the press and public. This morning, when door-stepped outside his North London home by journalists, a grim faced Starmer refused to say anything and was bundled into a waiting Range Rover. Keir clearly realises that “the police have already investigated this matter and found nothing” will no longer work as a line.

The Institute for Government is funded by the billionaire David Sainsbury, a former Labour minister under Tony Blair, who has backed centrist Labour politicians financially in the past. A statement on the website says only that the event is cancelled, with no explanation given.