On the subject of holidays, the Diary sympathises with poor Graham Lane, Local Government Association education chairman. He was much in demand among hacks after schools minister David Miliband accused councils of holding back pound;500 million from schools.
Mr Lane says:“I was on the bus to Nice airport when the calls started coming. Miliband wanted to warn me before he made his speech, but we couldn’t get a hold of each other. Then the media started ringing. It finished up with me on my mobile in front of the plane. They were waiting to close the doors and the crew were saying ‘When you have quite finished your press conference...’ ”
