Pandora: Youtube hit Hannan back to haunt Tories

(AFP)

Pandora readers may remember Daniel Hannan as the Brown-berating Tory MEP whose flamboyant haranguing of the Prime Minister turned him into an overnight YouTube celebrity.

The video, posted during Gordon Brown's visit to the European Parliament last month, caused a sensation by receiving more than a million hits, making it one of the most popular political videos of all time.

Unfortunately for his party (though rather wonderfully for anyone who delights in such ironies) it would seem that Hannan's verbal skills may cause the Conservatives as many problems as it earnt them plaudits.

Yesterday, a video surfaced which showed Hannan launching a similarly derisive attack on the NHS. "We've lived through this mistake for 60 years now. The reality is that it hasn't worked," he told Fox, the cartoonish American news channel. "It is making people iller."

Last night a Party spokesman slapped down Hannan's words, which sit awkwardly alongside Cameron's famous claim that his priority was: "Three letters: NHS."

"We are fully supportive of a healthcare system which is free for all who need it," he commented. "That is the belief of the leader of Conservative MEPs and his colleagues."

The cheek of it – Armando Twitted

Further adventures in cyber space, as Armando Iannucci, creator of satirical gem The Thick Of It, becomes the latest sufferer of what Pandora likes to call Twit-personation (an impostor poses as someone on Twitter; false rumours abound). The mimic sent his several thousand "followers" into a frenzy, claiming to have already written the show's third series. The news was immediately picked up by several entertainment sites. Alas, the profile is a fake. Iannucci has yet to embrace the dubious pleasure of "tweeting".

Liam's not-so-pretty green parka

Disastrous news. Samples of Liam Gallagher's terribly exciting new fashion range, Pretty Green (the progress of which has become a matter of considerable interest to Pandora) have been made and they are, it would seem, not quite up to scratch. "I've received the sample for the new green parka and I'm not 100 per cent happy," he claimed yesterday. Pandora is lost as to why this might be. Nothing, surely, could possibly go wrong with the winning combination of Liam Gallagher, heavy-weather wear and high-fashion. Could it?

Richard takes his pick of the autocuties

In a not entirely unsurprising turn of events, Richard Madeley has picked the (very) photogenic Myleene Klass as his favourite candidate to take over from Fern Britton on the This Morning sofa. "I worked with her when Judy had a week off to have her eyes done and she was very good, extremely good," mused the eternally-youthful presenter at the Galaxy Book Awards. "She'd be excellent, although she is very thinly spread at the moment."

Richard's wife Judy was rather less enthusiastic, suggesting that GMTV's Kate Garraway might be a better bet. "I think she's warm and she's got children," she said. "She is just about to have a second baby."

Policy exchange just not cricket?

There is disappointment among Westminster's cricketers, following news that Policy Exchange, the right-of-centre think tank favoured by members of the Conservative Party's upper echelons, has been forced to withdraw from competition after being unable to assemble enough players for a team in time for the parliamentary league.

"It means we are going to be one team down which is a shame," says my wicket-mad source. "Hopefully they will be able to train up enough people in time for next year's tournament."

pandora@independent.co.uk