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Sir Robert May is the sort of man who inspires songs. As he clears his desk at the end of his term as chief scientific adviser, he might reflect on the ditty that former Princeton colleagues penned in his honour. It concluded: Well, he's talked to Labour; and he's talked to Tories, And he's told them a whole lot of science stories.

So if the government changes, and his future is looking grim, He'll just talk to whoever is in-between, And I've heard that he's even talked to the Queen, And one of these days, ... the Queen'll get to talk to him.

Henry Horn, one of the songwriters, added to the speculation over May's successor: "It is not clear who (will take over from Sir Robert)... but in some circles one particular name has been under discussion for about 2,000 years."