Politicians are often accused of spinning yarn, though not quite like this. Last night a Labour councillor in Monmouthshire was spotted knitting on camera during a budget meeting – the very budget meeting where she was expected to defend £11.4 million of proposed cuts to services across the county.

Throughout the clip, Councillor Rachel Garrick could be seen toiling away at her latest piece of knitwear while the rest of the council discuss the small matter of the County’s finances. For her part, Garrick insists it helps “increase [her] focus” and relieve chronic pain. Her Conservative colleagues remain convinced it’s a thread-bare excuse. Guido leaves it to co-conspirators: is Garrick trying to pull the wool over our eyes, or has she been stitched up?