The British Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, last night declared himself "very relieved" to be able to speak of his "shock and concern" at finding his 17-year-old son accused of drugdealing. At the same time he made it clear that his family's embarrassment had not "compromised" his firm opposition to the legalisation of cannabis or other "soft" drugs.
The Home Secretary - champion of "zero tolerance" and scourge of winos, squeegee merchants and aggressive beggars - won heavyweight political and police backing as he told reporters neither he nor 10 Downing Street had ever considered resignation an issue.
Mr Straw was speaking to reporters for the first time since the allegations surfaced on Christmas Eve, and just hours after the High Court in London lifted an injunction preventing the media in England and Wales from confirming Britain's worst-kept secret.
The saga of "Cabinet Minister X" had earlier reached new heights of absurdity when two Scottish newspapers took advantage of that country's separate legal systems to confirm that it was Mr Straw's son who was accused of selling £10 worth of cannabis to an undercover Daily Mirror reporter in a south London pub.
With the Minister's identity already known to readers of France-Soir, Internet users and just about every London cabbie, the Scotsman argued that "what started out as a reasonably minor family difficulty has turned into a major argument over a point of principle".
That argument was sharpened earlier this week with the arrest of the Mirror reporter, Dawn Alford, a move widely construed as a direct attack on investigative journalism.
Speaking on Channel Four News last night, Mr Straw said he had no complaint about the conduct of the Daily Mirror.
Joint responsibilities, Penelope Dening, Weekend page 4