In November of last year, TS suggested that Sir David Varney was rarely to be seen at big tax events, and looked like he would soon be out on his ear.

And so it proved, as is usual with TS predictions, (well, not all of our predictions have proved correct ­ we’re still waiting for ‘Red’ Dawn Primarolo to be reshuffled).

At the time, it was clear that Sir David was not getting on well with the select committees, who seemed to exasperate him. That’s the point, you could say.

But there were also other things bubbling under the surface at HM Revenue & Customs, as we report this week.

Not least among them was Sir David’s line, which charmed former Inland Revenue types. ‘If I want something done, I go to Customs; if I want help with a crossword, I go to the Revenue,’ he said.

A phrase which suggests that door-busting Customs has certainly got the upper hand at HMRC over Revenue officials.