Judges often complain about the number of new laws being churned out these days, and figures compiled by legal publisher Sweet & Maxwell show why.

In 2010, 14 new laws were passed for every working day, more than in any other year.

In total, 3,506 laws were passed, partly because of the previous government pushing through measures before the general election.

This compares to an average of 1,724 laws passed per year under Margaret Thatcher.

Life must have been simpler then (though it didn’t feel like it).