Maria Miller's apology 'minimum requirement' for PM

"I am devastated that this has happened, and that I have let you down."

Thus Maria Miller makes the apology she failed to make in her thirty two second appearance in the Commons.

My sense is that this statement in her local paper was No 10's minimum requirement before David Cameron's appearance at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

It gives Mr Cameron a script - i.e. he can say that she has apologised clearly but that it's important to distinguish between the fact she was cleared of an allegation by a Labour MP about her personal arrangements and her inadvertent over-claim which has been re-paid in full.

I suspect the prime minister will need to say something about restoring confidence in the system whilst saying it would be wrong to overrule judgement of system as it currently exists.

If the story is not killed by Easter, MPs' holidays or other news then it is still possible that the culture secretary can quit saying that all this is proving too much of a burden on her family.

PS. I should stress that this is my reading of the situation from an airport lounge as I have been on a family holiday for a few days.