HM Press has a thick skin; any hack of a certain vintage(myself included) will probably have been sworn at, threatened and even punched in the noble pursuit of trying to find out what’s going on.

But in the refined atmosphere of Westminster such reprehensible behaviour is usually confined to the politicians.

However, times, it seems, are a-changing. Increasingly at press conferences when an honourable member of the Fourth Estate stands up and seeks to ask an incisive question of a party leader, there is an odd expletive thrown their way and there might even be a bit of hissing and booing.

At Ukip’s manifesto launch in London, the aggression directed against reporters reached another level.

In the launch bunker, where party supporters and the media were crammed, the normal cordial atmosphere of a manifesto launch took on a rather ugly demeanour.

Amid an imperial purple backdrop and a cacophony of camera clicks, Paul Nuttall spent most of his opening address accusing the Establishment parties of being cowards in the face of what he termed was the “tide of radical Islam”.

Having broken the national election campaign truce 24 hours earlier than the other parties, the head Ukipper declared: “It is not good enough to light candles and proclaim that extremists will not beat us. Action is required on multiple fronts and I am proud Ukip is setting out its patriotic agenda for defending our country and our way of life."

When one reporter suggested Mr N’s remarks were a clear case of exploiting the Manchester bombing, a Ukip chorus of angry disapproval struck up. People shouted: “Rubbish!” “Get back to school!” “Move on Paul, answer something else.”

As the anti-EU MEP denied “trying to jump on the back of Manchester,” and insisted the terrorists “would not beat us,” his supporters warmly applauded him.

But the nation’s media was not done. When one hack suggested Mr N’s remarks about lighting candles was an insult to those showing respect for the dead and injured, the barrackers struck up again. “Noooooooo!” shouted one. “For heaven’s sake!” “Don’t patronise us!” “Ask a sensible question!” barked another Ukipper.

The party chief, calmly, insisted he was not insulting people but he accused the politicians of being “too cowardly to say what the real issue is; they like to dodge the question”.

When the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg picked up on deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans’s suggestion that Theresa May when Home Secretary had allowed jihadis to enter Britain and asked if she was blaming the PM for the Manchester bombing, another wave of abuse ensued.

“What a stupid question!” “Go back to school.“ “It’s that the BBC by any chance?” “Don’t you understand English?”

Such was the level of abuse, an esteemed colleague from HM Guardian could stand it no longer. He turned round and politely urged the barrackers: “Could you show some respect please, everybody?” Somehow, I don’t think they were Guardian readers.