Donald Macintyre's Sketch: CBI heckle illustrates David Cameron’s lack of safe zones

The protest was the only incident to puncture the mood of mutual, jargon-rich congratulation

Anti-EU protesters interrupt the PM during his speech to the CBI in central London (PA)

Heckling! Of the Prime Minister. And at a CBI conference no less. Whatever next?

More of the same, according to the pro-Brexit Vote Leave organisation, which got its two subversives through security – by simply forming a shell company for them to represent – to repeatedly shout “CBI: Voice of Brussels!”

Cameron was unfazed, telling them: “Come on, guys. If you sit down now, you can ask me a question rather than making fools of yourselves by just standing up and protesting.” (An invitation they were sadly unable to take up, as they were swiftly ushered out).

The protest was the only incident to puncture the mood of mutual, jargon-rich congratulation. In keeping with TV presenters’ growing willingness to be hired guns for third parties, Evan Davis interviewed various big hitters on digital platform-based “disruptive business models”.

“Disrupter” Christopher North, Amazon UK’s MD, doubtless has a stellar answer to why his company pays so little British tax, but we never heard it because, taking his role as not-Paxman to a new level, Davis didn’t ask him.

Earlier Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny made the telling point that British withdrawal from the EU would not be good for peace in Northern Ireland. At one point he addressed the conference chairman as “Peter”, woundingly, since not only is his name “Paul” (Drechsler) but he was one of the few Irish folk present.

Luckily Kenny’s speech had by this time lulled the audience into a pleasantly dozy state.

Not that Cameron was notably better; speaking only from notes, but tending to the platitudinous.

“Let’s be frank. Britain is an amazing country,” he declared before disavowing any “emotional attachment” to EU institutions. “I have a very strong emotional attachment to asking the simple questions for Britain,” he explained gnomically. Asked for further reductions in business rates, he offered the “good news and the bad news.

“The good news is we want to help. The bad news is...” (a rough paraphrase is needed since this bit went on at some length) “...we’re not going to.”