The new Cabinet appointments were announced yesterday with a series of set-piece portraits. I shall confine myself to commenting on the photos.

Their quality is, to be charitable, variable. The lighting produces an unfortunate glare on many of them, and there’s apparently no make-up artist or even a pack of anti-shine wipes to hand. (Honestly, a piece of kitchen roll works almost as well, too, and trust me, I’ve asked some very senior people – with a smile – to do that.)

But the photography lacks some of the basics: the angle of the table tilts around between photos, some of the subjects are looking a bit shell-shocked (though given they’ve just had a meeting with Li-STICK TO THE PICTURES PAUL) and on this one at least, it’s not even in focus.

Probably a result of a bit of movement in the only shot with a usable expression that the photographer got. I have been there. Pressure situation, only allowed 2 frames, crowded by officials with clipboards hurrying things along. Yes, it can happen.

But it’s not the end of the world. With a few minutes effort, not even working with the original files, and only a laptop and trackpad at hand, the version on the right is perfectly possible.

If you care.

You have to ask where the quality control aspect is? A few people will have reviewed this. It could even have been displayed instantly on a screen in the room for checking. If it’s not right, redo it, or improve it. That’s what professionals do.

Putting it out like this shows a disregard for quality, and as one of the new government’s first public communications, a poor signal of what’s judged to be acceptable.

Care for your images.