Pandora: Spitfires fly as the BNP sticks to its (Polish) guns

(AFP)

Yet further sniggering appears to be in order when it comes to Nick Griffin's choice of campaign literature.

Following last week's delightful discovery that the "British workers" pictured saying "NO to EU rule" on a British National Party leaflet were, in fact, from Oregon in the United States (and thus at little risk, really, of ever falling under EU rule), we hear that another source of embarrassment is still very much in circulation.

The notorious Spitfires used in a campaign calling for Eastern European workers to be banned from coming to Britain – which, it transpired, were actually Polish – have returned to adorn the right-wing party's European election leaflets.

For their part, the BNP are claiming that they have known the origins of the Spitfires all along, and have decided to include them deliberately.

"We have plenty of members of Polish origin who fled during the war. We're not against them, we're against the modern flood of labour. It's just not a mistake as far as we're concerned. It's a publicity stunt: so everyone goes, 'Oh, look at the silly BNP.'" Just the sort of publicity a political party would want.

Chace limbers up for his new role

Congratulations to Chace Crawford, 'Gossip Girl' star and Pandora favourite. He's just been cast as the lead in the new version of 'Footloose'.

The 23-year-old Crawford was born just a year after the release of the original film in 1984. "He's never danced before but he's an extremely good athlete, which makes him likely to pick it all up fairly easily," explains Pandora's mole in the studio. "And he's really up for it. After all, he's an actor and so he needs to be challenged."

A solution to all Hazel's tax woes?

Some advice for Hazel Blears, following Pandora's revelation that the tax-shy Communities Secretary is considering donating her £13,332 to charity instead of HM Revenue and Customs (Ms Blears is, we're told, concerned that it might be "treated as a credit" on her account). Says one in-the-know reader: "She can simply post a cheque to HMRC and specify it is in addition to her tax. It goes straight to the Bank of England and into the system. A fair number of people each year do it and it always goes perfectly smoothly."

Jemima's back in business

Can a return to form be on the cards for trendy purveyors of frilly knickers FrostFrench?

The label – run by Sadie Frost and Jemima French – experienced something of a hiatus this time last year, after announcing that the business had been taken into administration.

Now, however, Jemima tells us that it's all systems go. "Things feel much more manageable now that Sadie and I are completely hands-on," she enthuses. "We are going to focus on our website next and have lots of exciting plans coming up. So watch this space!"

Spink speaks up for the Speaker

Eliciting even less of a response than the lonely Downing Street petition calling on Gordon Brown to "carry on leading" (current signatures stand at a meagre 62), the Independent MP (and sometime Ukip-flirter) Bob Spink has lodged an early day motion "paying tribute" to the outgoing Speaker.

Tragically (or, quite possibly, brilliantly), the motion has received but one signature so far. Bob Spink's.

pandora@independent.co.uk