Derek Conway: 1.5 million to you, sir

You've got to hand it to the Mail. They've taken the Derek Conway story and battered it into submission, a process which has handed Labour a massive gift and made the Tories look two-faced and shabby. And this from the Tory wives' inhouse paper.

This morning they've itemised all the money paid to the Conway family over the last five years. It comes to £1.5 million, 400 grand of which went to Conway's family. Including 300 grand to Mrs Conway, including, rather marvellously, several "overtime" payments. How very blue-collar.

The Telegraph has managed to get 38 MPs to own up to employing family members, but reckons there's a great many more. More than half of the Telegraph list are Labour members.