Mr Humphrys is not a political journalist by any conventional definition and declarations on television interviews are nothing news to do news with the Speaker, who said that if Mr Hawkins believed it was a matter he could refer to Nolan, news he was free to do so.An attempt to extend the benefits of the Disability Discrimination Bill to firms employing less than 20 people was defeated last night by 297 votes to 267 - a Government majority of 30. He said Mr Humphrys "failed to disclose during his interviews on Today that he was going to be receiving payment for his involvement in the overtly anti-Government education rally".This was the classic use of a point of order by a backbencher to pursue a political html vendetta. However, the minister retorted: "Is it really Mr Maclennan's case that all human kind is fallible except BBC interviewers?"Later, Nick Hawkins, Conservative MP for Blackpool S, suggested that Mr Humphrys should be referred to the Nolan committee on standards in public life for chairing a discussion at last week's rally against education news cuts. On a point of order, Mr Hawkins asked the Speaker, Betty Boothroyd, if the rules requiring MPs to make a declaration of "any payment on a matter that html might affect his judgement" html shouldn't also apply to political journalists. The important thing, as Mr Aitken was absolutely right to point out, is that when people html transgress, they learn by their mistakes and seek better in the future to deliver the obligation that is imposed upon them by the legislation."Robert Maclennan, for the Liberal Democrats, said Mr Dorrell had a "prime responsibility" to ensure freedom of expression even if individual news ministers and MPs might get irritated from time to time. we have heard 15 years of html complaints from Labour about how the broadcasters and the media are allegedly biased against them."We have all, as practising politicians, had the experience of a questioner or a journalist, we thought, going beyond the bounds of the task they have been given.

"Tough, vigorous, probing questioning of us politicians by BBC journalists is an essential part of the democratic process." The minister should tell the Chief Secretary "that the BBC are doing their proper questioning job, must carry on doing it, and must not be allowed to cave in to spurious Tory pressure" But Mr Dorrell dismissed that as "pretty rich ... Mr Dorrell unhesitatingly lined up with Jonathan Aitken, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, over his attack on John Humphrys, a presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The Secretary of State for National Heritage, whose responsibilities include broadcasting policy, had come to the Commons ready to defend Mr Aitken during the department's Question Time slot.Seizing the opportunity, Chris Smith, Labour's heritage spokesman, said an independent-minded BBC was crucial. But while the junior heritage minister Iain Sproat paraded it as one of the virtues of team sports at school, his chief, Stephen Dorrell, was not going to extend the lesson to the political arena. The lesson of "losing gracefully and winning modestly" was drawn to the attention of MPs at Question Time yesterday.

That is what dictate's Scotland's level of public expenditure now and the same principle will apply when devolution is in place.". "This is the same lie machine that told us before the last election that the Tories would cut taxes when in fact they raised them by the equivalent of 7p in the pound," he said."In the UK resources are pooled at the centre and then distributed according to need. The counter-attack from the Labour leader follows a Commons written answer from John Major on Friday saying that if current spending levels in Scotland were to be reduced to those for England, the shortfall to be made up by Scottish taxpayers would be equivalent to "at least an extra 19p in the pound on income tax". That came as Kenneth Clarke, the Chancellor, warned in an Edinburgh speech that English taxpayers would not put up with the Westminster government spending more per head in Scotland, as currently happens, if Labour devolution plans were put into effect.Mr Clarke said identifiable Government spending north of the border was 21 per cent higher than in England - equivalent to more than £600 per person a year and at least 16 per cent more than the UK average.Mr Blair said it was "simply absurd" to suggest that devolution would result in a 20p tax rise. Councils should also be encouraged to run complaints services outside working hours, it says.. Government arguments that a parliament for Scotland would cost Scottish taxpayers an extra 20p in the pound were yesterday dismissed by Tony Blair as coming "straight from the Tory lie machine", writes Patricia Wynn Davies.