Mr Robertson obviously decided that he would get no trouble from him but the worm

Mr Robertson obviously decided that he would get no trouble from him, but the worm turned. “I do not believe that this is a political decision: it must be a mistake,” he screamed.The MP had to be restrained from exploding as he listened to reprieves for TA centres in other Labour MPs’ constituencies.New Labour, no thanks.A DEBATE to appoint a new parliamentary commissioner for standards on the retirement of Sir Gordon Downey led to warm tributes all round for the latter – except from Tory MP Gerald Howarth, who launched a 40- minute tirade against him on behalf of Neil Hamilton. “I shall not join those who wish to salute the departure of Sir Gordon Downey I do not. I think he has been a disgrace,” he declared.Mr Howarth and Sir Gordon have engaged in a war of words since Mr Howarth complained that Sir Gordon’s dismissal, before the election, of Mohamed al-Fayed’s complaint that the former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, had taken a pounds 1m bribe from Tiny Rowland. Mr Howarth believed Sir Gordon should have required Mr Fayed to be summoned to the bar of the House. Sir Gordon told Mr Howarth this would deter others from making complaints and asserted that Mr Howarth’s views were of “total indifference” to him.A MORE effective two fingers to Sir Gordon was the apology for an apology from the Paymaster-General, Geoffrey Robinson, who had failed to register business interests.

His 54-second statement left members gasping as he escaped calls for his resignation for the third time.PERHAPS THE best case against the Lords pushing their luck was made by former Commons arch plotter Tristan, now Lord, Garel-Jones. He reminded them of when the Thatcher government was in danger of losing a Bill because of a Labour filibuster. Lord Garel-Jones, then a whip, got the Labour Chief Whip, Michael Cocks, to call the dogs off A Labour MP was interrupted by Mr Cocks “But Michael, it’s a bad Bill,” the MP pleaded Mr Cocks snapped: “Of course it’s a bad Bill We have a Tory government and all their Bills are bad. Shut up.”But Lord Garel-Jones is still capable of wheeling and dealing. He will have realised the cold sweat, this week, of former Tory ministers Robert Atkins, Jonathan Evans and Tim Kirkhope, whose prospects of getting on the Euro gravy train will be killed if Mr Hague’s henchmen in the Lords succeed in keeping the present electoral system.Virtually guaranteed their tickets to Europe on Mr Blair’s closed regional lists because these three are at the top, they will be phoning Lord Garel- Jones for advice this weekend. If anyone can get round peers to pull back when Mr Hague tells Lord Cranborne to order them over the top it is him.THE PROROGATION to wind up Mr Blair’s first 18-month session was like a mini state opening ceremony. The Queen now rules the country until next Tuesday’s State Opening by means of a Royal Commission.The State Opening will be supposedly slimmed down on the Queen’s instruction.

The heralds, in doublets and hose, will now travel in an advance procession. Two gentleman ushers, a crown equerry and a lady in waiting are to miss out Poor old Silver Stick in Waiting is also dumped. The rest of the ceremony will pass off with no noticeable diminution in pomp and circumstance still worthy of a Gilbert and Sullivan performance of Iolanthe.. WEETABIX, THE makers of Ian Botham’s favourite breakfast cereal, emerged yesterday as one of the main corporate backers of the Conservative Party. The company was named among the supporters in the party’s accounts, which disclosed for the first time all the donors of more than pounds 5,000.
The accounts also revealed the extent to which the party has called on personal loans from its own senior officers, including the party’s treasurers, to tide it over its cash crisis in the general election.A personal cash donation of pounds 1m was given by an unnamed source connected to Michael Ashcroft, the chairman of the Tory treasurers, and a leading businessman, who is also believed to be the biggest single financial backer of the party.The accounts also reveal a close relative of Sir Graham Kirkham, another treasurer, gave an interest-free loan of pounds 500,000 to be repaid by next 24 July. An interest-free loan of pounds 500,000 was made by a company in which carpet baron Lord Harris of Peckham has a controlling interest, to be repaid by next 1 July. Another party official, John Spurling, gave an interest-free loan of pounds 250,000 with no fixed repayment terms.