Campbell's back

Gerry Adams once reassured republicans that the IRA hadn't gone away. Neither has Alastair Campbell. The Times reports that rail operator First Group threatened to sue a watchdog for libel if it complained about its poor performance.

First Group, Britain’s biggest bus and train operator, has formed close links with senior Labour figures. It employs Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spokesman, to advise on “strategic communications” and has engaged David Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, to chair a commission that is expected to give strong backing to the company’s yellow school buses. First Group has refused to say how much the two are paid.