will make any difference.”The Lord Chancellor has denied any wrongdoing in inviting Labour-supporting lawyers to a fund-raising dinner at the Atlantic Bar and Grill in London last month.Dennis Skinner, the Labour MP for Bolsover, called on Lord Irvine to “pull his weight” and increase his fund-raising activities Mr Skinner said: “If I’m running … round the country raising money for all these Labour MPs in these marginal seats, why is it that the Lord Chancellor can’t pull his weight as well? I expect him to raise more money than me He’s a posh lawyer … I hope he’s going to carry on raising money and save my breath.”Mr Lock replied: “The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Cabinet He’s a member of the Labour Party. He’s perfectly entitled to raise money for the Labour Party.”Given the fact that he was raising money from lawyers, who have done extremely well under this Labour government, I’m delighted that they were encouraged to contribute towards the re-election of a Labour government.”. The tables could soon be turned on Anne Robinson, the acid-tongued quiz show presenter notorious for her withering put-downs of hapless contestants. The tables could soon be turned on Anne Robinson, the acid-tongued quiz show presenter notorious for her withering put-downs of hapless contestants.
The host of The Weakest Link faces a summons to appear before a Commons select committee to explain why she announced she wanted to consign Wales to oblivion.

Instead of letting her fire off a barrage of questions at a semi-circle of nervous guests, angry Welsh MPs are keen to reverse the roles and demand an explanation from her.Civil rights leaders are threatening to report her under the Race Relations Act because of a characteristically acerbic performance on BBC2’s Room 101, where guests are asked to list their pet hates.Robinson, never one to avoid picking on a vulnerable target, branded the Welsh “irritating” and asked: “What are they for?”She added insult to injury by going on: “They all used to come to Liverpool and speak Welsh. It’s quite confusing for a young child to wake up every Tuesday and find nobody speaks the same language as you. I’ve just grown to dislike them more and more.”Her onslaught was made just as the Welsh Affairs Select Committee was examining the Principality’s image around the world.Chris Ruane, Labour MP for the Vale of Clwyd, who will demand her appearance at the next committee hearing, said: “Her comments were outrageous and completely out of order. She should apologise to the Welsh nation.”The committee chairman, Martyn Jones, Labour MP for Clwyd South, promised to consider requests to order her to appear before the committee. If she refused she could even be prosecuted.But Mr Jones admitted he had an alternative candidate in mind for a grilling: the BBC director general, Greg Dyke. He said: “While we do have broad shoulders in Wales, I think it is bordering on racist. If the remarks had been about black people or Pakistanis or gays it just would not have gone out.”.

International aid will be freed from commercial and political ties and spending will be directed to help the poor, Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development, promised yesterday. International aid will be freed from commercial and political ties and spending will be directed to help the poor, Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development, promised yesterday.
She told MPs that aid had in the past been subject to Britain’s commercial and political interests. Opening a Commons debate on the second reading of the International Development Bill, she said future spending would have the eradication of poverty as its primary aim.The Bill is a follow-up to the White Paper on eliminating world poverty, published in 1997 after Labour came to power, and would give the Government new powers to fund international development.Ms Short said legislation would bring to an end the Conservative policy of giving support only when British organisations would benefit. She said such links were “permitted and encouraged” when the Conservatives were in office.Ms Short told MPs: “Under the previous administration … the UK’s development effort was always subject to considerations of the UK’s commercial and political interests.” She added: “It’s right that the legislation that underpins the spending of money should entrench on the face of the legislation the requirement that any minister or administration must use funds in order to achieve the systematic reduction of poverty.”The Bill will not allow priority to be given to the commercial or political interests of the UK.”Ms Short said that international aid efforts had sometimes suffered from “fragmentation”, which “often led to a weakening rather than a strengthening of the capacity of developing countries’ governments to improve their economic performance”.Gary Streeter, the shadow International Development Secretary, insisted that his party would not reconnect aid and trade when it returned to office.

“We stand ready to support policies that are effective in reducing global poverty,” he said.But he questioned whether the Bill was necessary. He said: “This Bill gives the Secretary of State power to focus development policy on poverty reduction.”But you already have that power and if you don’t have that power, much of your activity over the past four years has been illegal.”Mr Streeter said the Government already had the authority to promote humanitarian aid. “Once this Bill becomes law, what difference will it make to the way you do your job?”I suspect the answer to that question is ‘nothing’. It will make no difference whatsoever, so why are we doing this?”Mr Streeter said the confidence of the British people in the effectiveness of government aid was very low. How could they be sure their money was not disappearing “down a black hole” when the Malawi government spent aid on Mercedes cars for ministers and help was given to Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, he asked.”This Government has sat on its hands while corruption abounds,” he said.Mr Streeter asked what the measure did for democracy-building, support for good governance and the rule of law.. Trained teachers should be employed to educate new MPs in the ancient and mysterious ways of the House of Commons, a Labour MP said yesterday. Trained teachers should be employed to educate new MPs in the ancient and mysterious ways of the House of Commons, a Labour MP said yesterday.
Formal mentors, drawn from the ranks of experienced MPs, should also be appointed to help new members adjust to life in the Palace of Westminster, Fiona Mactaggart, MP for Stroud, said.Speaking during questions to Margaret Beckett, the Leader of the House, on reforms to the House of Commons, Ms Mactaggart, who was elected in 1997, raised laughter from the Conservative benches when she described her own experiences as a new MP.She said: “Really, when I was first elected I lived on confusion and muddle and people who were seeking to teach new members the procedures of the House were not skilled in teaching, but were skilled in the procedures.”In order to help the House get down to its business well we should ensure that those who were responsible for teaching new members about procedures have some training in teaching skills.”Could some members act as mentors to enable them to understand the procedures of the House and quickly become effective MPs?”Paddy Tipping, the deputy Leader of the House, said informal mentoring was already in place But the Government would consider the proposals.