Eddie barnes - Griffiths' stock rises

Labour MP Nigel Griffiths will not lose his job as a result of his indiscretions in the House of Commons, as revealed in the News of the World at the weekend. Griffiths declared he was "deeply sorry" and "ashamed" after the Screws published details of the Edinburgh MP's alleged sex session within the parliamentary grounds, but Labour sources inform me that there is no likelihood of one of Gordon Brown's mates being deselected as the next election. He has already been named as the Labour candidate in Edinburgh South.

Indeed, there is some speculation that the revelations might end up actually helping Griffiths' bid to cling onto his seat, which he held last time round with a majority of barely 400. The assumption that philandering politicians are punished by the electorate isn't borne out by the evidence, they point out; indeed, in some cases (see John Major) juicy revelations of sexual indiscretions may actually serve to boost their grey image.

Or as one old hand put it to me today: "Trousers down, majority up."