David Prosser: The attractions of life out of the spotlight

Outlook At first sight, the decision of Lord Davies, the former boss of Standard Chartered Bank who then served as trade minister under the last government, to accept a full-time job at the private-equity business Corsair might come as a surprise. He had been tipped for a much more high- profile return to the private sector and linked to a number of prominent roles in banking.

The less public life as a director of a privately-owned firm such as Corsair must have its attractions though. Having worked for a government that operated with a permanent sense of crisis in its final days, the attractions of jobs at Lloyds Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland, for example – two places where the gossips had suggested he might end up – must be limited: those banks operate in an atmosphere only marginally less febrile.

This is not to say we should not scrutinise the activities of government or our biggest banks with the utmost rigour – just that as a result, talented people, as everyone accepts Lord Davies is, may sometimes opt for a quieter life.