Justice in Britain, a country that boasts it all but invented the presumption of innocence and trial by jury, is becoming a matter of money. We’re going the way of the United States and building a market-based rather than a rights-based system; where the rich have every advantage and the jails are filled with the black and the poor.

It hasn’t happened yet, but allow me to clutch some straws from the prevailing wind. Last week, Southwark crown court began hearing the case of Das insurance company against its former CEO, Paul Asplin, who it accuses of passing business to companies in which he had a financial interest. He is pleading not guilty and the case continues. Whatever the verdict, one feature already stands out: Das is bringing a private criminal prosecution. So are many other companies. Britain now has its first firm of private prosecutors: Edmonds Marshall McMahon, set up by former government lawyers. They realised that cuts to specialist crime teams meant many fraud cases could not and would not be pursued by the state. The demand for their services is so strong they are receiving six inquiries a day.