But someone barely out of his or her teens who's been nothing more than another MP's dogsbody, or a 'special adviser, ' or a local government official, is likely to be a pushover.

BBC: 'Appalled' Cameron leads payback

Epsom MP Mr Grayling said nothing would be done hurriedly but Epsom would not lose services in the short-term.

BBC: Epsom Hospital merger: 'Careful review' as NHS deal halts

"That such views exist in the heart of the Tory cabinet provides yet more evidence of how out of touch the Tories are with modern Britain, and how David Cameron's claim to have changed his party is, like so many of his promises, nothing more than empty words, " the Labour MP said.

BBC: David Jones

The following day, the outwardly respectable Daily Mail carried abject quotes from the MP on his doorstep, saying he knew nothing of his wife's actions, and could prove that he was separated from her.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot