Leading article: Beware - this will be an investigation on China's terms

So that's all right, then. The British Government has asked China to carry out a full investigation, free from political interference, into the death of the British businessman, Neil Heywood. The Chinese have pledged a thorough and transparent inquiry. Everyone is happy, but nobody should be fooled.

The talk is all of murder, blackmail, corruption, extortion and secret plans to transfer money overseas by a woman known as the Jackie Kennedy of China – and wife to a man who until recently seemed poised to join the country's nine-man politburo. This once-in-a-generation shift of power has degenerated into China's biggest political crisis since Tiananmen Square in 1989. But the judges and police who will carry out the investigation are Communist party functionaries, not independent operators. The party's interests, as ever, will be paramount. So don't hold your breath for the whole truth coming out.