The phone-hacking crisis has unleashed what some have termed a “British spring” – the effective revival of parliamentary power. Not only were the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks subjected to humbling interrogations watched worldwide, but a series of inquiries has been set in train that may profoundly change the power structure of Britain.

This is welcome, but it is far from sufficient if parliament is to regain public trust in systematically holding the government of the day to account.

Over the past 30 years, parliament has become less ideological, more tribally loyalist and more careerist. It failed utterly to hold the Thatcher-Major governments to account over the arms-to-Iraq scandal, the Blair government over the Iraq war, or the Brown government over its capitulation to the City. Recent reforms – including elections for select committee members – do little to redress the balance of power that has drained away towards Downing Street, Brussels and the courts.