So we have a PM with an explosive temper and an advisor who has mysteriously vanished before he was due to appear before the Commons public administration committee.
Coincidence perchance or has there been some DIY work in the garden recently?
Damian McBride, the Downing Street aide forced to quit over e-mails smearing top Tories, has "disappeared without a trace", a senior Labour MP has said.
Tony Wright said he had wanted Mr McBride to give evidence to the Commons public administration committee.
He "seems to have disappeared without a trace and despite our best endeavours we haven't been able to trace him", committee chairman Mr Wright said.
The committee is investigating the role of special advisers in UK politics.
Mr Wright said it would continue its efforts to contact Mr McBride.
The former Downing Street adviser has not been seen in public since he was forced to quit over e-mails discussing plans to spread unfounded stories about leading Conservatives.
He was sacked by Prime Minister Gordon Brown without compensation and is reportedly currently unemployed.
'Infamous e-mail'
Derek Draper, another key figure in the e-mail row, earlier quit as editor of the LabourList blog.
Mr Draper had been discussing plans with Mr McBride to set up a separate gossip website, Red Rag, to counter the perceived dominance of Tory-supporting blogs.
In one leaked e-mail, Mr Draper described Mr McBride's plan to spread unfounded rumours about senior Conservatives as "absolutely totally brilliant".
But in a resignation statement e-mailed to LabourList subscribers, Mr Draper said: "I regret ever receiving the infamous e-mail and I regret my stupid, hasty reply. I should have said straight away that the idea was wrong."
But he said his continued editorship of LabourList "can only detract from what Labourlist needs to do now". He will be replaced by his deputy Alex Smith.
Gordon Brown pledged to tighten up the code of conduct for special advisers - backroom staff employed to give political advice and brief the media - following the smeargate row.
But the public administration committee has launched an investigation into their activities and whether they should continue be funded by the taxpayer rather than the political parties.
