Still a favourite at the Tory fair: Loyalists greet Mellor with applause - and the press with brickbats

THE TORY rank-and-file offered comfort to David Mellor yesterday as he fulfilled the MP's traditional duty of attending his constituency's summer fair.

The National Heritage Secretary was greeted by applause and kisses from women party workers when he toured Putney Conservative Party's fair in Roehampton, south-west London, with his wife Judith.

There were no kisses for the large media entourage. 'I know members of the press want their faces painted,' announced a party loyalist over the public address system. 'I'll paint them red for them.' Another man barked: 'You all want a machine-gun on you.'

Mr Mellor refused to say whether he was the Cabinet minister who Kelvin MacKenzie, the editor of the Sun, said telephoned him during the elction campaign with details of Paddy Ashdown's five alleged affairs. 'That is a disgraceful suggestion,' he said.

The occasion was not marked by any original wit. 'The question is Mr Mellor, are you going to have your cake and eat it?' asked a constituent, as he bought a fruit cake. 'It's not been a lucky week,' muttered Mr Mellor, as he drew a blank ticket in the cuddly toy raffle.

Mr Mellor was unconcerned about further Sunday newspaper revelations about his alleged affair with Antonia de Sancha, an actress. Last night, his attitude seemed justified: though lurid rumours had circulated about the next instalment in the People, which broke the story last week, the newspaper could reveal only that he had phoned Ms de Sancha from home while his wife was 'prowling'.

As usual in such cases, the woman is getting the rougher end of the coverage - the Sunday Mirror alleged that Ms de Sancha had worked for an 'escort agency' (nudge, nudge).

But in an interview in the Mail on Sunday she said she had worked there for only two weeks.

Mr Mellor's position will be discussed at a regular meeting of senior Cabinet ministers tomorrow. It involves Tony Newton, Leader of the House, taking the chair in the absence of Richard Ryder, the Chief Whip, who is on holiday; Sir Norman Fowler, Conservative Party chairman; and Lord Wakeham, leader of the House of Lords. The committee's job is to evaluate presentation of government policy.

(Photograph omitted)