We all get from time to time those emails purporting to be from people who have stolen loads of money and wish to launder it, if we only hand over our bank account details. Until today, my favourite was last year when I received one claiming to be from the widow of Sam Jonah, ex-chairman of Anglo-Ashanti Gold. That amused me because Sam is a good friend of mine and I had just spent the early evening drinking with him!

But I just received possibly the most hopeless effort yet, claiming to be from…David Trimble! Can anyone beat that?