Banks respond to Treasury demands on interest rates

Britain's banks finally responded to growing public and political pressure yesterday to pass on to their customers the full 1.5 percentage point cut in interest rates. After an early morning meeting with the chancellor, Alistair Darling, the UK's biggest lenders yesterday came out one by one and flipped him the bird before running off down Whitehall. By mid afternoon each of the banks that had sought help from the government's £37bn bail-out had mooned in the direction of the Chancellor and invited the Treasury to kiss their lily-white arses. Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the move.

Blair tells police where to get off

Tony Blair has been questioned for a second time by police investigating cash-for-honours allegations, it has emerged. Sources close to Downing Street said that Mr Blair had to be restrained by officers after he really kicked off. The prime minister was detained at No 10 last Friday until a doctor arrived at the request of police to administer a sedative. Mr Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister was denied a lawyer by the police during an interview during which Mr Blair told police they could kiss his lily-white arse. A police spokesman declined to comment.