More utter madness from the European Parliament. They have cracked down on the insidious labelling of baby milk and food, decreeing that “pictures of infants, or other pictures or text which may idealise the use of such formula” will be banned henceforth. Our own bonkers pen pushers are culpable as well, they had already stopped the use of baby pictures on infant formula for tots younger than six months. Now EU rules say no photos on baby food and milk for the first year.

Olive oil, conkers, baby food: you can’t accuse them of failing to address the burning issues of our time…

At last a politician with the courage to stand up to the dangerously influential, scandal-hit corporation that dominates the British media. Harriet Harman’s proposed 15% market share cap would, once and for all, break the unrivalled power of the BBC, who are currently over three times that with a 47.2% share. No one else comes close, News International for example are well under the proposed cap at just 10.1%. As the Greek national broadcaster is shut down to save money, it is worth noting the huge multiplier effect of the £4.3 billion that would be in consumers’ pockets in this country without the Beeb. If they were first regulated by Ofcom rather than the tame BBC Trust, then Hattie had her way, the BBC could be cut down to size…

The LibDem leader of Kingston Council has quit after being nicked in a child porn arrest. His deputy has put out this statement:

“Derek Osbourne has resigned from the Liberal Democrat group. We are deeply shocked by these allegations but I am unable to comment further as we must now allow the police the time and space they need to investigate the allegations thoroughly and without prejudice.”

How many LibDem dodgy sex scandals is that now?

Google, Microsoft, Apple et al denying Glenn Greenwald’s claim that they allowed the National Security Agency “direct access” to their servers was pretty awkward for the Guardian. Obviously the last brave freedom fighters defending us against an omnipotent surveillance would never do that, right? Here is the Guardian’s own privacy policy:

“Please note that we reserve the right to access and disclose personal data to comply with applicable laws and lawful government requests, to operate our systems properly and to protect both ourselves and our users.”

The same rule the software giants say they play by. Is this “direct access”?

H/T @guywalters

The undercover reporters that Yeo fell for claimed to representatives of a cash-splashing company from South Korea, so his Seoul-searching getaway destination was an obvious choice. When he’s back he faces being deselected by his local association. South Suffolk Tory chairman Toby Kramers tells the Times he will grill Yeo, warning they may kick him out even if the Standards Commissioner lets him off the hook. He says he will be “guided by the opinions of colleagues and the rules of the party. Not every MP that’s deselected is hammered by the standards authorities”. Their confidence in the Standards Commissioner to get to the bottom of it all is telling…

After round one last year, sometime Cameron loyalist Peter Oborne accuses mischief-making Lord Ashcroft of treachery in an uncharacteristically forthright piece in the Telegraph. Citing twitter, polling and his alleged loathing of Lynton Crosby, Oborne calls for Dave to withdraw the whip:

Harsh words from Labour foghorn and Lord Ashcroft lunch partner John Spellar for one Indy columnist last night. Spellar let rip at the party’s loony left at a Progress/Labour History event:

“It’s perfectly true that the organised evil, the militant socialist workers and the communist party are nothing like as strong as they once were but the sort of mindset is still there. There’s some teenager who seems to have a column in The Independent who says ‘Labour finally has some real competition on the left.’ Well whoopee.”

Ed and co have clearly twigged that if they want to win in 2015 doing the opposite of everything Owen says would be a good start…

“I think mistakes were definitely made. They were made by Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Jo Swinson.”

Paul Burstow “deeply regrets” his own mistakes and has apologised to the woman concerned. Helena Morrissey slams him for not taking concerns to the party president. Complaints were handled mainly by Jo Swinson and Danny Alexander, their actions were “ultimately not sufficient”. Comms chief turned Clegg’s Chief of Staff Jonny Oates gets both barrels:

“Oates’ denial of Clegg’s awareness was more black-and-white than the reality of the situation. While it was technically true that Clegg was unaware of the specific alleged incidences as detailed by the newspaper in their correspondence with him, Oates could have made it clear that Clegg was aware of several anonymous, ‘non-specific’ allegations.”

Developing…

Former Tory MP Andrew Pelling has been selected to fight the Croydon ward of Waddon. For Labour.

Council Leader Tony Newman claims Pelling’s selection in Waddon will “put the fear of God” into his former Tory colleagues.

And wives…

Media Guido is hearing of big movements over at the Times. Witherow is, as expected, swinging the axe…

Roland Watson is out as Political Editor – he’s been told to apply for Foreign Editor apparently – a desk getting squeezed.

Cameron biographer Francis Elliot will replace him and Sam Coates is coming back  from the scaled-back business desk to the Lobby.

Guido is hearing conflicting reports of his job title, though it is expected to be along the lines of Deputy Political Editor or Associate Political Editor.

Some twenty newsroom sackings are said to be imminent.

In lighter news, the much missed Times Diary is set to return.

UPDATE: US sources suggest that Witherow has also axed the Times’ Wall Street correspondent with the expectation being that they will share content with the Wall Street Journal. The New York features writer has also been given the bullet. Developing…

UPDATE II: Guido understands no more cuts are hitting the business desk beyond Coates and the Wall Street correspondent. Apparently the brunt of the staff cuts are in sections with less affluent readers.