After 49 years in parliament, it is perhaps no surprise that the presence of Dennis Skinner, the ‘Beast of Bolsover’, can still be felt in the Commons. This evening, Tory MP Mark Fletcher led the tributes to his predecessor in a heartfelt maiden speech — even suggesting that a statue be built in his name.

Labour MP Clive Lewis thanked his Tory counterpart for the “kind words”, describing Dennis Skinner as a link to a different era when people had “dignity of work”. He did, however, have a choice word for Fletcher’s plan to build a statue…