DAVID Cameron may not have been quite the most brilliant prime minister this country has ever known, nor exactly the brightest national politician at present around, but even allowing for a debatably privileged social, economic and educational background, anyone becoming premier of this still fairly civilised nation would be expected to be no fool either.

He must have realised, even at a time of understandable, considerable disappointment and frustration, that his allegedly highly subjective resignation honours list would nowadays cause an enormous furore, so what on earth was going through the man’s mind?

Presumably not yet being “kicked upstairs”, if he stands, he will almost certainly be returned as MP for Witney, whenever the next general election may occur, but this gesture has definitely done absolutely nothing to enhance his fairly neutral political reputation.

DAVID DIMENT

Riverside Court, Oxford