It’s always good to see a man of stature sticking up for his buddys in the face of adversity. The Mail on Sunday reported that the grand old Duke of York, Prince Andrew has urged the Government to preserve the rather controversial loophole that allows Britain’s wealthiest residents to avoid paying millions of pounds in tax each year.

Harking back the non-dom tax debates of yore (so much dirty water has passed under the bridge of controversey since then, they seem like a distant memory) the Prince has reopened the debate. He also defended City bonuses calling them “minute”.

Now we can understand where Andy is coming from on this, who wants to see their friends suffering under a punitive tax regime. But the comments probably couldn’t have come at a worse time from the man nicknamed by tabloids as Airmiles Andy. Britain’s crappy GDP figures and ever-rising unemployment will ensure they enjoy a damp reception.