IN Henry Porter’s latest novel, The Dying Light, the politicians running the Government are frequently faced with complex moral dilemmas.

Should they suspend the constitution, limiting population movements and other civil liberties, in order to guarantee another term of office?

Porter’s new novel is set in England in the near future, when law-abiding citizens are frequently asked for their identity cards, and their every move is recorded by Big Brother-like electric drones flying overhead.

The London-based novelist, above, now has a tricky dilemma of his own to face – but one that every writer dreams of.

The Dying Light has already attracted the attention of a film company wanting to turn the gripping political thriller into a Hollywood movie.

But a rival production company wants to adapt the book for a TV serial and Porter is not sure which one to choose.

The former newspaper journalist told The Guide: “Two offers are on the table and which one do I go with?

“The world is turning on a sixpence at the moment – I have been approached by a company wanting to adapt The Dying Light into a four-parter, but then of course Hollywood would be the bigger money.

“I’m pretty chipper about the reaction to the new novel because it’s not a normal thriller – it’s a book written with a purpose about where we could soon find ourselves.

“There is terrific competition around at the moment with new novels out by Dan Brown, Robert Harris and Sebastian Faulks, who I went to school with, but mine seems to be selling pretty well.”

Porter attributes this success to the inclusion of two strong characters, David Eyam, the former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, who is killed in an explosion abroad, and his former lover Kate Lockhart, who works for a Manhattan law firm.

After watching the amateur film of his death at the inquest, Lockhart joins the congregation of businessmen, politicians and spies at his funeral. Eyam leaves Lockhart his country cottage in his will, and a series of clues that leads Lockhart into direct conflict with the Government.

“Half the problem with a book is sitting down with a blank sheet and saying ‘this character is this person’ but the character only comes after you write a few scenes,” Porter explains.

“John le Carré’s Smiley was a wonderful character to play with and I’m pleased with Kate Lockhart.

“She is stroppy, good-looking, clever and suffers fools almost never – I like her impatience.”

Porter is sufficiently smitten with Lockhart to write a sequel set in the UK after a change of government. One of the themes could be that with two different governments you can get a similar set of problems,” he confides.

Porter is keen to point out that he is not anti-establishment and is in favour of “the proper use of the state’s powers”, but feels Labour has gone too far in eroding civil liberties.

“I don’t think ID cards will be introduced at the moment because it would cause civil protests on a similar scale to the poll tax riots.”

Earlier this year, Porter visited Wootton-by-Woodstock village hall to give a talk about his last novel Brandenburg, and residents in the village built a mini-Berlin Wall to welcome him.

If The Dying Light makes it in Hollywood, or on to our widescreen TVs, then his contacts in the village will be straight on the phone to sign him up for another session.

The Dying Light is published by Orion, price £12.99.