Although not formally confirmed until next week, it looks as if Andrew Motion has been chosen by the British government to succeed the late Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate. A prolific poet in a restrained, understated vein, Motion is currently Prof of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and has written biographies of Larkin and, memorably, Keats.

He recently signalled his interest in writing poetry that addresses public issues by his poem on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and a recent one about his last meeting with Ted Hughes, who was a friend. Hardly a radical choice, Motion can be relied on to pen courteous verses about royal weddings and births.