To One Great George Street in the heart of Westminster for the 90th anniversary party of Thompsons Solicitors, the unofficial legal wing of the Labour movement. The event’s timing might have dampened the mood, what with the government about to abolish referral fees in personal injury cases, and in a nice tribal twist not a single Conservative parliamentarian was invited.

But chief executive Stephen Cavalier was in defiant spirits as he rallied an audience of Labour frontbenchers and MPs, policy wonks, lefty journos and assorted stalwarts of the trade union movement. The core message - that the reforms are being driven by an insurance sector which bankrolls the Tory Party - certainly went down well, judging from the raucous applause.

Incidentally, Thompsons must be the only law firm in England and Wales with its own campaign banner (pictured), which celebrates the firm’s proud history of defending workers’ rights. Ample evidence indeed of its commitment to raising standards in the legal profession.