The desire of political parties to wheel out prominent business supporters is not always reciprocated by the executives in question. The Westminster landscape is littered with business names who have found mixing with ministers attracts an unforgiving media spotlight.

A case in point is the press coverage meted out to Paul Drayson, the biotech millionaire and Labour donor whose PowderJect firm was awarded a government contract to manufacture the smallpox vaccine. A Sunday newspaper's take on the peerage dished out in the November honours list was typical: “Isn't life smashing for Labour donor Paul Drayson, aka Lord Drayson of Smallpox?”