It’s time for another round of crackpot Russian sanctions. Still smarting from the latest package of western measures, Moscow has retaliated by hitting us where it hurts: banning our best and brightest from visiting Vlad’s kleptocratic empire. In April it was Nadine Dorries and Grant Shapps: this month it’s Huw Edwards and Robert Peston. Bemused hacks on the 39-name list include the Telegraph’s James Crisp who expressed his surprise but remarked ‘It’s always nice to have been read.’

Still, at least the Russians got some villains right. Piers Morgan —  or, as the Russians call him, Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan — comes in 38th on the list, presumably for all his angry tweets and TV rants against Putin and his cabal. But just to add insult to injury, the Russians managed to get his broadcast channel wrong, incorrectly referring to him as a presenter on ‘IT-Vi’ rather than TalkTV, for which he’s paid millions. Looks like even the FSB in Moscow aren’t watching it either…

Others to feature on the list include former Prime Minister David Cameron, onetime head of NATO Lord Robertson and, er, Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens. Talk about a cast of titans. Liam Fox proves he still has relevance by having his name included (who needs a leadership run anyhow?) while Sir Ed Davey will probably be gutted to not be in a list which included parliamentary luminaries like Ian Blackford, David Lammy and Wendy Morton.

Given the prominence which such status confers on those targeted, Steerpike wonders how long it will be before he too is sanctioned by the tinpot tyrant.