Frontbenchers who had already agreed to repay money include George Osborne, Michael Gove and Alan Duncan.

BBC: Tory MPs pay back ?125,000 more

In opposition, the likes of George Osborne and Michael Gove, now the chancellor of the exchequer and the education secretary respectively, were keener to promote democracy abroad than Mr Hague and others who were more concerned with stability.

ECONOMIST: The government��s foreign missteps are multiplying

You are now hearing respected city economists such as Michael Saunders, who supported Mr Osborne in 2010, suggest that a modest increase in capital spending might be a net positive for the economy, even if it did raise borrowing.

BBC: Budget 2013: The domino theory of deficit reduction