Failing socialist rag Tribune’s bitch fight with CCHQ over conference press passes has taken a particularly shouty turn. There has been an impasse after the Tories said they would only award the paper one pass, despite editor Chris McLaughlin demanding two. With Tribune only having three members of staff and a circulation that plummeted to just 4,000 in 2011, in fairness giving 66% of their employees free entrance to Tory conference does seem a bit silly.

McLaughlin isn’t giving up without a fight though. He accuses CCHQ of “discriminatory restrictions and politically motivated censorship, Zimbabwe-style”, insisting “this amounts to a ban on Tribune attending conference, defended by trumped up, false claims of justification. It is an attack on press freedom and a disgrace”. Tribune are now accusing CCHQ of taking away the one pass they did offer, though Tory sources stress this is because the magazine refused to provide a name to put on the pass. Nonetheless amusing to see the loony left jumping on the press freedom bandwagon…