"There is literally one sentence which divides us and surely we can thrash that out while employees are back in work earning money and carrying out their duties as normal, " said Mr Le Blanc.

BBC: Appeal for end to post strike

Regardless of whether Ms Jowell has done anything wrong, she has been damaged by the picture that has emerged of the world her husband inhabited, one in which raising multiple mortgages to invest in hedge funds or earning large fees to set up exotic tax-avoidance schemes was perfectly normal.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot