Robert Hutton spent 16 years covering the British government for Bloomberg, taking in five prime ministers, as many elections, and the odd referendum. He is now sketchwriter for The Critic.

His first two books were both satire: Romps, Tots & Boffins, is about the words only journalists use, and Would They Lie to You? was about the way politicians got around reality without actually uttering untruths (it was a more innocent age).

His most recent book, Agent Jack, doesn’t have quite so many laughs, although there’s an incident with a jar of marmalade and a blueprint for a Vickers tank. Oh, and there’s a naked German in a wardrobe.

He read Artificial Intelligence at Edinburgh University, and consequently is the only member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery to have built a rugby-playing robot.