Ensconced between the gentlemen's clubs on Pall Mall and the Mall proper, 2 Carlton Gardens, palatial abode to the Institute for Government (IfG), is no stranger to dominant historic figures.

It was from here that General Charles De Gaulle, led the Free French Army after the occupation of his nation. But this august embodiment of Gallic pride found himself, ultimately, unable to govern a nation which has 246 varieties of cheese.