The UK government establish an independent body to give it advice on drugs policy which it could then ignore. Now they’ve gone and fired the head of the body. Of course, because the machinery of British government functions on blu-tack and sticky-back plastic, the minister hasn’t used any formal powers, but has merely “invited” the scientist in question to step down.

In a letter to Professor Nutt, Mr Johnson writes: “I cannot have public confusion between scientific advice and policy, and have therefore lost confidence in your ability to advise me as chair of the ACMD… I would therefore ask you to step down from the council with immediate effect.”