Cathy Newman disappointed me tonight on Channel 4 News. She asked Tory MP David Davis whether, considering Nigel Evans had been “involved with a man 33 years his junior”, could Davis “be confident that he has emerged without a stain on his character?” Davis rightly answered that he had “emerged as an innocent man”. He added, also quite rightly, “I’m not at all sure what the laws are on the relative ages of partners in these things but I don’t think what he’s done there is a criminal offence at all.”

Cathy was undeterred, however. “It might be frowned upon”, quoth she, “for a powerful politician to get involved with someone so much younger who had done work experience in Westminster.”

Bit of class disdain there, Cathy? Deputy Speaker in relationship with mere – er, well, er – pleb? Davis replied that age wasn’t the issue. He explained to her what her real question should have been: basically, did Evans abuse his powerful position in that relationship? The outcome in court, replied Davis, said that he didn’t. I hope that’s the case and not just the answer of a Tory MP defending one of his own. But that is certainly the question Newman should have asked.

And now I wish to make a statement relating to the question she did ask: until 2011 I was “involved” – wonderful word, isn’t it? – with a man 30 years younger than myself  in a 6-year relationship. A good experience it was too – for both of us.

So find better questions, Cathy, for Gawd’s sake, and save me the horror of defending answers given by a Tory MP.