Any civil servant required to work equally closely with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown faces the challenge of reconciling their conflicting demands. But Lord Turnbull of Enfield, the former cabinet secretarywho pulled off that balancing act over much of the past decade, never lost his air of unflappability.

The man whose trenchant comments made headlines yesterday was permanent secretary at the Treasury - its top civil servant - for most of Mr Brown's first term as chancellor. Lord Turnbull went on to serve as cabinet secretary - head of the home civil service - throughout most of Mr Blair's second term.