Leading Article: The battle for Free Britain

A victory for freedom! (And after a week of tongue-lashing from the Minister without Portfolio, we needed one.) Second World War fighter pilots and other veterans, who once daily risked death in pursuit of it, have chalked up another triumph under the leadership, now as then, of Major John Howard. He was the hero of the attempt to seize Pegasus Bridge during the D-Day invasion (younger readers can search out a video of the Hollywood film based on this glorious episode in British military history - The Longest Day). Word had come from local council officials that eggs not cooked to at least 75C (hard therefore) should not be served at the veterans' Surrey retirement home. The lily-livered administrators of the home caved in. But not the veterans. Major Howard, holder of the DSO and Croix de Guerre avec Palme, is now 88 and would "under no circumstances" (his words) eat hard-boiled eggs. Well, maybe in salad or fish pie, he added to one newspaper. The council ruling threatened not only the preferred soft-boiled eggs served at breakfast: afternoon tea would also have been out, lamented the Major, with mousse, meringues and pavlovas also verboten. (Goodness, they eat well in this camp.)

Action was swift (a bombardment of puns in the national press), victory swifter. The next day the council was gibbering: "We were only following orders ... Government Chief Medical Officer ... British Egg Industry Council advice..."

Soft-boiled eggs restored, and a nation's confidence.