Such is the public interest in the looming sale of British chocolate maker Cadbury that readers of the Mail on Sunday were last week invited to cut out a coupon and send it to the Secretary of State pleading: “Dear Lord Mandelson, we believe that far too many British companies have fallen into the hands of foreign owners. We do not want the same to happen to Cadbury.”

Campaigners are unlikely to be pleased that Royal Bank of Scotland, now 70% owned by UK taxpayers, is one of the banks providing a bridging loan to US predator Kraft for its hostile bid, alongside fellow UK bank HSBC.