Lord Bach, legal aid minister, must look forward to facing audiences of legal aid lawyers as much as Daniel looked forward to his engagement in the lions’ den.

The minister has received a rough ride at events lately, but at the Legal Action Group’s conference at Freshfields last week, he actually received a compliment – though he wasn’t present to hear it.

As is usual with ministers, Bach had to rush off immediately after his speech, but not before giving the next speaker on the programme, veteran human rights solicitor Sir Geoffrey Bindman, ‘permission to insult me in my absence’.

But far from doing that, Bindman paid tribute to the minister’s efforts. ‘I have confidence he will do and has done his very best to improve legal aid.’

Bindman went on: ‘In that respect, I think he’s quite different from one of his predecessors who told me: "There are no votes in legal aid so the government can cut as much as it likes without having to worry about it."’ Wild horses would not drag from him the former minister’s name, Bindman said.