So Sir Alex Ferguson finally stopped all the clocks. Jon Snow took himself up to Chester racecourse, where the old nag was supposed to be, to cover the biggest story of the day for Channel 4 News. He was accused of downgrading the Queen's Speech and vilified with as much venom as the Prince of Darkness himself might have unleashed. Meanwhile Fergie had done a neat side-step, Cristiano-style, and was nowhere to be seen. From the other end of the sofa came the comment: "Bloody hell, it's not like the Queen's abdicated" – although as she tuned into the news, she might have considered it. Except that the one person who could run the country instead of her had just headed for the Highlands himself.

David Cameron is facing a new Conservative rebellion over Europe as his MPs challenge his authority by renewing their demands for a referendum.

Liam Fox, the former Defence Secretary, will pile more pressure on David Cameron tomorrow by demanding a radical Budget next week that abolishes capital gains tax (GCT).

Sotheby's chairman apologises for "horrific slip of the tongue"

An online forum for a uniquely British form of moaning has gone viral in the US. Liam O'Brien celebrates

The BBC has been told to stop paying Labour MP Diane Abbott so much for appearing on political show This Week after she took home more than £6,000 in appearance fees.

City grandee Sir Adrian Montague has emerged as the frontrunner to chair High Speed 2, the much-criticised £32bn London to Scotland rail link.

After being reminded that John Cleese can understandably take exception to ill-founded fears his funny bone may have been surgically removed in recent years, I would like to place on record the confident belief his best work could still be ahead of him. (Just pretend it's some other bloke in those rubbish AA adverts). Now the old boy proudly informs us that he wouldn't still be plain old Mr Cleese to you and I, if he had seen fit to accept a peerage from Paddy Ashdown back in 1999.

David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, is considering a role in television after losing the Labour leadership contest last year.

Media Studies: Google may provide an invaluable service but it actually produces nothing much of value

David Cameron spent three hours in Oldham East and Saddleworth, scene of a by-election where some people suspect the Tories are pulling their punches to avoid hurting the Lib Dems. The Prime Minister's visibility was so low at times that reporters on the scene starting wondering what he might be doing.

The last time Pandora heard from Jonathan Aitken he was in darkest Kazakhstan, inspecting prisons. This time it's Russia, where he is up to "all kind of things". So he can't talk at length, you understand. But he has this much to offer: his backing for Diane Abbott as leader of the Labour Party.

The old Etonian has shown his party that he is not too privileged to appeal to voters. But, having taken the Tories to the threshold of No 10, can he now persuade them to embrace Nick Clegg?

Stephen Twigg, the symbol of New Labour's 1997 landslide, lost his seat in 2005. Now he returns as a Labour candidate in Liverpool West Derby. Rob Hastings meets him