Plaid peers at the back of the queue

Peter Mandelson will return to Parliament today when he takes his seat in the House of Lords.

His elevation to the title of Lord Mandelson [Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham] follows his remarkable Cabinet comeback – the second of his career – in Gordon Brown’s reshuffle last week.

The controversial New Labour figure has given up his job as EU Trade Commissioner to take over from John Hutton as Business Secretary.

Following an introductory ceremony in the House on Monday, letters patent detailing his title will be read out.

In addition to Peter Mandelson, Susan Campbell, David Pannick, Stephen Carter and Paul Myners, will be in line to be raised to the peerage in the near future.

What happens when you oppose the House of Lords for most of your political party's life? - straight to the back of the queue [Dafydd Wigley, Janet Davies and Eurfyl ap Gwilym]

Tony Blair: Love is... A Cruel Mistress

Is there nothing a man wouldn't do for love? The following news story touches the heart on a mild Thursday morning, as the hunt is on for the identity of a mystery Blairite bard who is thought to be a member of Gordon Brown's Cabinet.

At Downing Street upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't Blair,
He wasn't Blair again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away.

Business Secretary John Hutton was accused by his Tory shadow Alan Duncan of being behind the lines which appeared on the Spectator website. Mr Hutton totally denied the verse was his. "I would write better poetry than that."

The Minister shook his head and looked slightly embarrassed as Mr Duncan teased him that the poem belonged to him. The Tory MP said the poem could only have been penned "by one person" and the "finger of suspicion" pointed at Mr Hutton.
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During a Commons debate on Post Office closures, he said: "We are told that somewhere in Downing Street, thought to be a member of the Cabinet, there is a poet, a bard. "Looking at the flavour of the language, I think it can only be but one person."

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Mr Hutton said it was not him, insisting: "Those are absolutely not my words."

Mr Duncan said Mr Hutton had once claimed Gordon Brown would make a "blooming awful prime minister - and I translate for the sake of decency". Total politics at its best.