Environment Agency chairman's PR disaster distracted from the real flooding story | Damian Carrington

The fuss over Sir Philip Dilley's Caribbean holiday and subsequent resignation let the government off the hook over its failings on flood defences

So Sir Philip Dilley is going to spend more time with his family, in whichever home he feels most comfortable. After misleading the public over his whereabouts over Christmas, as the north of England was awash with floods, he resigned as chair of the Environment Agency on Monday.

As the rain fell on Boxing day, he said he was at home with his family. Then, having been tracked down to Barbados, he clarified that he was "at home with his family, who are from Barbados". Now it appears his wife is actually from Jamaica, 1,200 miles away.