There is scant sympathy for Bercow, but his complaints echo some of those during the Paterson row.
How the pendulum swung from the police not pursuing guilty Savile to pursuing innocent Proctor – and the disaster of Operation Midland.
Why did so many senior Conservatives invest so much political capital in a scheme dependent on Starmer’s goodwill?
By not offering voters a retail package of reform, he has left himself with little political cover and limited escape options.
The Commons needs to go back to the drawing board and review flawed investigatory and recall arrangements.