When Jo Moore Held the DTI in her Thrall Like a Narnian Snow Queen

Recent events have allowed me to conduct an informal and anecdotal survey of the differences between biscuits offered by various branches of government. While the Cabinet Office proffers high end chocolate-coated delights, the Home Office prefers to extend culinary temptation with a seventies nostalgia twist in the form of Bourbons. When visiting BERR – formerly known as the Department of Trade and Industry – it has become clear you should not expect anything more exotic than a Shrewsbury.

While a getting a Shrewsbury biscuit at the taxpayers’ expense probably does not seem exciting to most people, I regard it as something of a personal triumph. Given that when Jo Moore held the DTI in her thrall like a Narnian Snow Queen, I was banned from press conferences at One Victoria Street, to be back there for biscuits and coffee served in decent china counts as definite progress. With the vile creature defeated, there is also less fear I will ever again be held there against my will, locked in a basement long after others have been allowed to leave.