When Graham Love, chief executive of QinetiQ, the UK defence research and technology company, says: "If you're in a war, you need to win," he is talking about the need for state-of-the-art equipment on the battlefield. But he could also be referring to QinetiQ's controversial privatisation, which has been notable mainly for its ability to create enemies.

In a campaign of only a few short weeks, QinetiQ has attracted hostile fire from the opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, retail investors, national newspapers and trade unions, with former government ministers attacking the deal for good measure.