Mr Simpson MP for Nottingham South believes the union link would provide the issue while PR and state funding

Mr Simpson, MP for Nottingham South, believes the union link would provide the issue, while PR and state funding would make a rival party viable.Yesterday a Blair loyalist,Kim Howells, Labour MP for Pontypridd, urged the party to expel the National Union of Mineworkers leader, whom he called a "complete megalomaniac", adding that "if he doesn't like the game that the other kids have organised, he'll take his ball away and start his own He's always done that".. That would be of the right's making rather than the left."MPs would leave if three conditions were fulfilled: "The severing altogether of the trade-union link, the introduction of proportional representation and of state funding of political parties."Advisers to Tony Blair, the Labour leader, have discussed abolition of the union block vote, while he has promised a referendum on a change to proportional representation (PR), and the party is committed to state funding of parties. JOHN RENTOUL Political Correspondent Left-wing MPs could leave the Labour Party to link up with Arthur Scargill's breakaway socialist party after the next election, Alan Simpson, secretary of the hard-left Campaign Group of Labour MPs, said yesterday.He disagreed with the timing of Mr Scargill's move to set up a Socialist Labour Party in May: "Arthur is wrong that this is the defining moment." But he added: "It is possible for today's Labour leadership to take today's Labour Party down a path which would split the party. "As well as being a patient at Ashworth, Ian Brady is also a notorious child murderer - a matter in itself which justifies scrutiny of him in the public interest." The adjudication has triggered Brady's legally-aided High Court challenge to the commission - the first in its five-year history.. He believed the article flouted its codes on privacy, particularly regarding long-lens pictures.However, the managing editor of the Sun, William Newman, defended the paper in a letter which argued: "Public interest demands that we should continue to monitor the progress of such evil people through our prison and secure hospital establishments."The commission upheld the Sun in a ruling which Mr Kaye says mirrors the tabloid's own defence. "He has a five-star room with his own key, access to a swimming pool, multi-gym, library, tennis courts and a football pitch," it added.

Charles Kaye, chief executive of the Special Hospitals Service Authority which runs Ashworth, immediately sought permission from Brady to complain to the commission over the article. Until McCloskey came along, only the wealthy or the politically connected could afford protracted appeals. He edged it to McMillan at second slip.That was the first of three slip catches for McMillan. The second came only three balls later when Graeme Hick pushed hard at a ball that bounced and England were 60 for 4.

It was a poor stroke considering the length of the ball and it demanded a defensive bat held by soft hands. His third catch came 20 overs later when Jack Russell failed to get on top of a rising ball that Pollock angled across him.By this time Smith was fighting a lone battle and none of the tail was able to stay with him for long. Once Pollock had removed Mike Watkinson, Donald returned to bowl his quickest spell of the day, ripping out Dominic Cork's middle stump with a perfect yorker before forcing Peter Martin to fend off a throat ball to Andrew Hudson at third slip.On the day, England were undone by the steep bounce, coming as it did from just short of a length. But if the quicker bowlers dominated from the bouncier Kelvin Grove End - where nine of the 12 wickets fell - it was left to Paul Adams to fiddle away at the other.Once again, his brief experience at this level was not apparent and he bowled over 20 overs, taking the wickets of Smith, who was ninth out after chopping on the chinaman, and Malcolm, who was bowled heaving at a googly. As several of his deliveries have already gone through the top, this pitch will deteriorate and he could come into his own during England's second innings.This is a new pitch laid only last May, making it probably the youngest Test pitch ever used.

Yesterday it behaved like a delinquent with multiple personality disorder might, being slow in the middle, bouncy from just short of a length, and unpredictable from just about anywhere else. That was hardly unexpected considering the groundsman is Andy Atkinson, who moved here from Warwickshire two years ago having planted the Edgbaston track that brought so much terror to England's batsmen last summer.Still it did not look the kind of strip to put the opposition in on, and Atherton did not hesitate over having first use of it with the bat. However, South Africa must have been suspicious of its mischief potential when they brought in Jacques Kallis for Craig Matthews (a bowler) to strengthen the batting.When it was England's turn to bowl, their gamble of batting Russell at No 6 in order to play the extra bowler looked sage when Cork rolled over in agony clasping his left hand after colliding with Watkinson in the covers. Luckily he had only sprained his ring finger and he was soon back on his feet screaming for lbws, one of which, against Hudson, was upheld in the third over.Eight overs later he struck again when he had Hansie Cronje caught by Russell to a an outswinger that left the South African captain groping down a different line. It was another failure for the South African captain with the bat, but unless England can find someone to support Cork today, it is not something that will concern Cronje.Cape Town scoreboard(First day; England won toss)ENGLAND - First innings*M A Atherton c Hudson b Donald 0(24 min, 21 balls)A J Stewart b McMillan 13(75 min, 51 balls)R A Smith b Adams 66(243 min, 179 balls, 8 fours)G P Thorpe c McMillan b Donald 20(47 min, 43 balls, 3 fours)G A Hick c McMillan b Donald 2(4 min, 3 balls)R C Russell c McMillan b Pollock 9(80 min, 57 balls, 1 four)M Watkinson lbw b Pollock 11(8 min, 9 balls, 2 fours)D G Cork b Donald 16(34 min, 33 balls, 2 fours)P J Martin c Hudson b Donald 0(8 min, 6 balls)A R C Fraser not out 5(14 min, 8 balls, 1 four)D E Malcolm b Adams 1(8 min, 3 balls)Extras (b4, lb1, w1, nb4) 10Total (277 min, 68.1 overs) 153Fall: 1-0 (Atherton), 2-24 (Stewart), 3-58 (Thorpe), 4-60 (Hick), 5-103 (Russell), 6-115 (Watkinson), 7-141 (Cork), 8-147 (Martin), 9-151 (Smith).Bowling: Donald 16-5-46-5 (nb1,w1) (6-4-10-1, 6-1-17-2, 4-0-19-2); Pollock 14-6-26-2 (nb1) (5-4-5-0, 4-1-9-0, 5-1-12-2); McMillan 10-2-22-1 (nb2) (6-2-11-1, 4-0-11-0); Adams 20.1-5-52-2 (11-3-29-0, 9.1-2-23-2); Kallis 4-2-2-0 (one spell); Cronje 4-4-0-0 (one spell).Progress: 50: 110 min, 27 overs Lunch: 54-2 (Smith 18, Thorpe 20) 30 overs 100: 208 min, 51.4 overs Tea: 125-6 (Smith 56, Cork 4) 60 overs 150: 266 min, 66 overs. BARRIE CLEMENT The wives of senior executives who are made redundant with substantial severance payments are under more strain than their husbands, a British Psychological Society conference was told yesterday. Anya Johnson, of Chester College, said all the redundant men believed they were supported by their partners, but only about one in 10 wives thought their husbands were a source of emotional support.Where the relationship was "rigid, traditional and authoritarian" and the woman was unhappy with the status quo, then the loss of a partner's job could be "highly stressful"."Families tend to operate in the best interests of the man, but it puts a lot of strain on the woman," Ms Johnson reported in a paper to the society's annual occupational psychology conference in Eastbourne.She interviewed 26 couples where the male had earned an average pounds 53,000 a year and had received a pay-off of pounds 95,000.One of the reasons why the male partner was not under unbearable strain was that in each case he had the benefit of an "outplacement" counsellor who was commissioned to help him until he found employment.The study found that women who were employed were under the greatest strain. Other stores are offering 50 per cent."Erica Fiber of Hendon, who has attended the first day of the sales for the past 10 years, was content with her bargain - a pounds 160 Yarell jacket that had originally cost pounds 320: "You can get cheaper stuff here than you do in out-of-town shops.".

After nine hours of playing snap and reading they suddenly found themselves the centre of attention as they were served a champagne breakfast outside the store.Inside, the selling was steady, with the only stampedes occurring as journalists tried to follow Depardieu, who opened the sale, down to the wine department where Harrods is exclusively selling the actor's own Chateau de Tigne Anjou Blanc (pounds 7.95).The famous store banished such sale "gimmicks" as a television for pounds 10 or a fur coat for pounds 50 several years ago. "It was more of a pain than anything else," a Harrods spokesman said. "We found it was counter-productive because 50 people would converge on the same item and we decided it was better to give more people the chance of getting the same products."But Betheney Bernard, from Buckinghamshire, was disappointed at the lack of traditional bargains. But while some complained about the absence of real bargains, their actions belied their words as they parted with a quarter of a million pounds in the first half-hour. By noon, the tills were taking pounds 16,000 per minute and the store said turnover was up 8 per cent on last year's sales.The china and glass department did particularly well, with more than pounds 100,000 of china sold by lunchtime and the linen department was also said to have had a good day.Nearly 2,000 people were queuing outside by 9am but the first to arrive had been Pip Watkins, 20, and Richard Lloyd, 22, two Cardiff University students who arrived at midnight to win a pounds 5 bet.