I note that Lord Mandelson has decided to publish the independent report on the collapse of MG Rover on September 11^th**.

This news came after the Serious Fraud Office announced that it wasn't going to instigate a criminal investigation into the affair.

This is probably a cause of annoyance for Mandelson who clearly hoped to delay publication of the report until after the next election.

This makes me wonder if there is something more shocking in the report than criticism of the government for propping up a failing business in an area with marginal constituencies in it (shock – horror!!).

**As a slightly mischievous aside, I seem to remember the New Labour has some previous form for using this particular date as a good one to “bury bad news”.

I wonder how close Alan Duncan is to spending a spell on the Tory backbenches?