Pandora: Time to polish off De Beers, Stephen

Celebrity jeweller Stephen Webster is under pressure to quit his role with De Beers, the South African diamond company for which he designs a men's jewellery range.

Charity Survival International have renewed its campaign against the company, which it claims has gone back into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve with the intention of exploring for diamonds.

The charity says the reserve is the ancestral homeland of hundreds of Kalahari Bushmen, who were evicted from their lands in 1997 and 2002 and placed in resettlement camps.

Survival's director, Stephen Corry, has now penned a letter to Webster, whose clients include the likes of Madonna and Johnny Depp, urging him to distance himself from the diamond company.

There was a global boycott of De Beers from 2002 to 2007, during which time the supermodels Iman and Lily Cole stepped down as the faces of the company, because of its human rights record.

A spokeswoman for Webster confirmed that they had received Survival's letter but said they were still undecided as to whether they would join the boycott.

"Stephen will have to consider it in detail and then discuss it with the chief executive," she said.

"Whatever happens, I doubt it will be something that's easily decided."

Wayne unhappy about interview

There Is about to be some serious handbag flinging between Wayne Rooney's people and his long-term rock star chum Kelly Jones. The Stereophonics singer has conducted an as-yet-unpublished interview with Q magazine, complete with eyebrow-raising anecdotes from the pair's early friendship.

"Wayne came to our gigs long before he was Wayne Rooney the football star," says Jones. And when he did so, says the article, much mischief ensued.

All very amusing but totally untrue, according to Team Rooney, who are considering getting the lawyers involved before the article hits newsstands.

It would be an extraordinary development, since Jones and his band were invited to play at Rooney's lavish wedding in June. "Kelly is getting his facts completely wrong," says a spokesman for Rooney. "Action may be taken on Q magazine for printing this."

Sparks fly at the BBC after a morning of grumpy guests

Viewers of the BBC Breakfast programme were treated yesterday morning to a delightful ding-dong between the presenter Bill Turnbull and professional bird watcher – and all-round grumpy person – Bill Oddie. Oddie was interviewed with his colleague Kate Humble at Poole harbour in Dorset to promote the new series of Autummwatch.

As the interview went on, he became increasing grouchy with Turnbull, blaming his faulty earpiece and bizarrely, the Daily Mail, which (despite recently serialising his memoirs) he derided as "total toss".

After five minutes of some fairly terse exchanges, Turnbull decided to wrap things up.

"I tell you what, Kate, if he happens to tip overboard on the way over to Brownsea Island, don't pick him out too quickly," he said. "Give me John Prescott any day."

News travels fast at Broadcasting House. Minutes earlier, Turnbull's colleague Evan Davis had Prescott on Radio 4's Today, which Prezza called "a programme of depression".

Boris withholds his witticisms

I do hope that election to high office has not robbed Boris Johnson of his famous sense of humour. A collection of the gaffe-prone London Mayor's best quotes over the years has just been released as a Christmas stocking-filler under the title The Thinking Man's Idiot: The Wit And Wisdom Of Boris Johnson.

Sadly though, the book's publisher, New Holland, was unable to use any of Bozza's witticisms from his entertaining weekly columns in The Daily Telegraph. Apparently, when the Mayor's office got wind of the publication, it forbade New Holland from using any of his scribblings unless a more complimentary title could be thought of. Johnson's office could not be reached for comment yesterday but New Holland insisted it would keep the book's name. "It was a shame but we weren't prepared to change it. There's plenty of good stuff in his speeches," said a spokesman.

Busy Browne calls time at Foster's

Lord Browne has given up his role on the board at Foster and Partners, the architectural company belonging to his old mucker Norman Foster. The cigar-chomping peer was appointed a non-executive director of the firm in September last year, shortly after he stood down early as chief executive of BP amid a flurry of newspaper stories about his private life. Although the appointment was heralded as something of a coup at the time, industry bible Architects Journal reports that Browne decided to leave back in May having "not really ever started" in the position. A spokesman for Foster says: "He found he was busier than expected and therefore due to pressure of other commitments has resigned."

Ministers just wanna have fun

Oh to be a fly on the wall during one of those girlie nights in shared by our Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, and her Cabinet colleague, the new minister for Europe, Caroline Flint. The duo inform Marie Claire they are both fond of a whirl on the karaoke machine."We used to go out dancing when we were younger, but less so these days," says Smith. "Now we do [PlayStation's] SingStar, although Caroline is more of a performer and has a broader repertoire than I do."

Flint adds: "Our sessions can get quite competitive. I do Cyndi Lauper and Madonna – we have such a giggle."

All together now: For he's a ...

Here's a cracking piece of timing. Three days after he jumped ship to Tottenham Hotspur, the former Portsmouth football manager Harry Redkapp is due at Portsmouth's Guildhall today to be made a freeman of the city. He was awarded the honour after guiding the club to FA Cup victory last year. "I don't think people should gloss over what has happened and pretend they aren't disappointed," says council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson, "but of course they shouldn't boo him."