THE government insisted today that it monitors “the financial health of all of our strategic suppliers, including Capita,” adding: “We do not believe that any of our strategic suppliers are in a comparable position to Carillion.”

It is difficult to reconcile this supposed reassurance with the collapse of Carillion that happened, along with the criminal emptying of the company’s staff pension fund, without the government noticing anything amiss.

The major difference between Capita and Carillion appears as one of degree, with new chief executive Jonathan Lewis viewing the wreckage of the instant corporate gratification model and resolving on immediate action.