Ever more entangled become the political and business interests of Tim Yeo MP, chairman of the Commons select committee on energy and climate change. Last Tuesday, Mr Yeo rose to the top of the news agenda by demanding to know whether David Cameron was going to be “a man or a mouse” in handling the issue of a third runway at Heathrow.

Yeo cited as his main reason for supporting this cause that it would help British businesses to open up more trade links with China. But it was then pointed out that a company of which he is chairman, TMO Renewables (which last year paid him £60,000, at up to £1,000 an hour), has just signed a memorandum of understanding with the largest farming corporation in China to supply it with feedstocks for biofuels. TMO’s latest annual report states that doing business with China has become a “key focus” of its activities.