If the Queen was not taken hostage by terrorists during the state opening of parliament last autumn, it seems it was no thanks to Jacqui Smith, the home secretary. Certainly the terrorists had opportunities – as Ms Smith was warned. Flaws in Westminster’s security are graphically portrayed in The Lords’ Day, a thriller by Michael Dobbs, which has the Queen – and half the establishment including the prime minister – being held hostage by terrorists. Mr Dobbs, a former adviser to Tory prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, carried out meticulous research for the book. He was horrified to discover how lax the real-life security was.

So when he finished the book last July he wrote to the newly appointed home secretary about lapses in security and suggested that they should be investigated. Ms Smith and her civil servants did not bother to reply – at least not until months later when Mr Dobbs took some of his concerns to a tabloid newspaper. Suddenly Ms Smith took notice. Just a week before the real state opening last November she replied saying that “appropriate and proportionate security arrangements were in place”.