Gordon “people skills” Brown strikes again, presenting us with another political riddle to challenge popular conceptions of left and right.

It’s been said before that it takes a supposedly “patriotic” Tory government to get away with introducing radical, anti-nationalistic measures such as Ted Heath taking Britain into the then EEC, whilst it takes a supposedly “liberal” Labour government to get away with imposing truly draconian law and order policies. However, the latest eruption of pomposity and prima donna antics from Westminster takes us into new territory. The resignation of Tory frontbencher David Davis (great Catch-22 style name! Wish my parents had been so imaginative!) as an MP over Labour’s plans to extend detention without charging is unprecedented, and surely the fact that not only the Conservatives but also the BNP are now baulking at Labour’s authoritarianism must also be a first.

What happens next could be interesting. Labour may even benefit, since if nobody stands against David Davis in his bid to regain his embarrassingly safe Tory seat – and why should they bother demeaning themselves by taking part in such a preposterous publicity stunt and foregone conclusion? – he (and his party, who are backing him) will look even sillier than he does already. Maybe with a name like that he’s beyond caring.