Lord Mandy wants security gates

No sooner has Peter Mandelson – or Baron Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool as he now styles himself – returned to Britain than the trouble begins. And as is often the case with the ‘prince of darkness’, it concerns property. According to a report in the Independent, the newly-installed Business Secretary has been lobbying to have security gates installed at the entrances of the exclusive crescent (which can't be named for security reasons) in Regent's Park where has a £2.4m home.

This, says the Independent, has enraged locals, one of whom is reported as saying: "Apparently he contacted the council about it. There are about 15 houses there, and he's pissed off quite a few residents who aren't at all keen on the idea. It certainly seemed over the top, particularly as he wasn't even a Cabinet minister when we first heard about this."

Mandelson has, of course, endured his fair share of unwanted publicity when it's come to his housing arrangements. Back in 1998, he was forced to resign (for the first time) from the Government following revelations of a secret £373,000 loan from his Labour colleague Geoffrey Robinson towards the purchase of his previous home in Notting Hill.