Who will be man enough to stand up for big business against Cameron and Brown?

Everyone seems to be concocting their own shortlists for the most desirable job in London (I speak, of course, of the leadership of the Liberal Democrats), but the contest that catches my eye is the one to become the next director-general of the CBI — not least because, in a moment of whimsy, I once applied for the post myself. The present incumbent, Sir Digby Jones, will step down by the end of this year and the CBI’s intention is to announce his successor before the summer. The search is in the hands of former Cabinet minister turned headhunter Virginia Bottomley and the early spin suggests that, for the first time, a female candidate may be preferred. Names already in the frame include Denise Kingsmill, formerly of the Competition Commission, and Kate Swann, the chief executive of W.H. Smith.

In the light of current debate about political correctness, you may think it absurd that gender should be a factor in this selection at all.