Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, the famous Roman General in the Second Punic War, earned the agnomen ‘Cunctator’ for his delaying tactics, refusing to offer battle to Hannibal’s superior Carthaginian forces. A Sanskrit proverb advises that: ‘Opportunity unavailed becomes harmful. One should not delay.’

A hastily deleted tweet from the Treasury on 9 February trumpeted how ‘Millions of you helped end the slave trade through your taxes’. The attached image stated ‘In 1833, Britain used £20m, 40% of its national budget, to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire. The amount of money borrowed for the Slavery Abolition Act was so large that it wasn’t paid off until 2015.’