Government officials trying to counter the BBC’s claim that it has an exclusive right to the £142.50-a-year licence fee have discovered helpful documents in the archives proving that, until 1962, a large chunk was given to the Treasury.

This undermining of an awkward opponent’s argument by dint of historical research has prompted a frenzy of activity in Whitehall’s dustier corridors, as mandarins sift through red-ribboned parchment in an effort to solve other political dilemmas.