FORMER prime minister Margaret Thatcher showed her legendary fighting spirit when Christmas shopping yesterday.
The price of whisky in the House of Lords gift shop had not been reduced by 26p, as decreed in the budget on Tuesday. She insisted that the full amount be taken off each £12.75 bottle in the three cases she was ordering. She was unmoved when staff reasoned they could not take tax off stock already bought.
Sales manager Alflo Bibbiani intervened, but caved in after only five minutes, as many have before him.
Jemima Khan, the wife of former Pakistan cricket star Imran Khan, was fined £200 in London yesterday over a driving incident in which a cyclist had to brake and swerve to avoid a collision.
The daughter of billionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith pleaded guilty by letter at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court. She also had her licence endorsed with six points and was ordered to pay £30 costs.
Noel Edmonds (47) has signed an exclusive four year deal with the BBC. The House Party and Telly Addicts host will develop new BBC programmes with his Unique Television production company.
Edmonds joined Radio One in 1969, presenting the Breakfast Show for five years and stepping into TV with The Multicoloured Swap Shop which ran for six years.
Claudia Schiffer has lent her support to a campaign in Montreal to increase awareness of and research into breast cancer.
She is trying to gather 2.6 million signatures to press President Clinton to provide $2.6 billion for breast cancer research up to the year 2000.