I heard a rumour the other day that a leading commercial silk was turning down new instructions because he was being lined up for appointment as attorney general whenever Suella Braverman steps down.

I do hope it’s true — but the cynic in me doubts it. In my latest column for The Critic, now published online, I argue that frank advice of the sort that can be offered only by a “real QC” is no longer welcome in Downing Street.

Read my column here to understand why I’ve re-used this illustration.

I can’t republish the piece in full as I don’t own the copyright.

Apologies for posting slightly less frequently than I would like: we have one more edition of Law in Action to put together for next week and it is taking up a lot of my time.