There was still no sign that ministers were remotely concerned. But then, at the end of February, the Daily Mail weighed in. These "deeply disturbing proposals, slipped out with little public comment", had left a "cornerstone of civil liberty . . . in grave jeopardy". David Davis was given space the next day to argue that these "fundamental failures of justice" were what you'd expect from Syria, Iran or North Korea. By the end of the week, the Mail had even caught up with the special advocates' concerns.

Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, had put his name to the green paper, even though it had clearly come from the security and intelligence services. Now Clarke was forced into print, with a bylined article telling Mail readers that the proposals would apply only to a "tiny number of civil cases where public safety could otherwise be put at risk". Later that day, he told parliament he was "most unsettled" by the special advocates' comments and "very startled by their strong reaction". As well he might be. He should never have published the green paper in the first place.