The Government remains hopeful that after next Monday's Commons debate the whole affair will fade away

The Government remains hopeful that after next Monday's Commons debate, the whole affair will fade away.There was little sign of that yesterday as Tony Blair, the Labour leader, put himself at the head of a fresh onslaught on William Waldegrave, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, by pressing his view that the Scott report showed that he was in conflict with ministerial rules by failing to inform Parliament of the state of arms export policy.In fierce exchanges with the Prime Minister, Mr Blair said the Government would remain "knee-deep in dishonour" until Mr Major was prepared to say whether he agreed that the failure by ministers was deliberate and "in breach of their duty of ministerial accountability".Labour will continue to press the charge that the "deliberate" failure to inform Parliament identified by Sir Richard was in breach of the written requirement in Paragraph 27 of the published Questions of Procedure for Ministers that ministers give "as full information as possible .. and not ... deceive or mislead Parliament".Sir Robin Butler, the country's most senior civil servant, is likely to be questioned by the Public Service Committee about a crucial change in Questions of Procedure which affords them some protection if they mislead Parliament. The code was suddenly amended in 1994 to include the word "knowingly" before mislead, as in "Ministers must not knowingly mislead Parliament".The Government has strenuously argued that Sir Richard's report clears Mr Waldegrave of "knowingly misleading Parliament."Government hopes of avoiding a humiliating defeat in Monday's debate were boosted by informal indications yesterday that the Ulster Unionists may go no further than abstaining. The party's nine MPs will discuss their stance at a meeting today.Labour sources, however, were not ruling out the possibility of a back- bench motion to cut Mr Waldegrave's salary - seen as a procedural ruse for censuring an individual minister.. Michael Howard's handling of an application for British citizenship by the owners of Harrods, the Al Fayed brothers, was the "epitome of closed government", the High Court was told yesterday.

The Egyptian-born brothers, Mohammed and Ali, were refused citizenship last year - but were given no explanation for the decision. Neither were they given any opportunity, before a final decision was made, to comment upon any reservations the Home Office and ministers may have had about their claims for British passports. Yesterday, the brothers' counsel, Michael Beloff QC, said the "cavalier" treatment of two men - who had lived in the UK for 30 years, have British children and who had made enormous financial contributions both in taxation and donations to charities - amounted to "as elementary and flagrant breach of the primary rules of natural justice as can be imagined".Their applications for naturalisation were submitted 13 months apart, "but coincidentally refused in the same Delphic terms" he said. "One can without exaggeration describe the whole process as being the epitome of closed government," he said.Both brothers - whose applications were supported by leading Conservative figures, including Lord Archer, Sir Gordon Reece, former adviser to Baroness Thatcher, and Sir Peter Hordern, MP for Horsham - are seeking a judicial review of the Home Secretary's decision not to grant them UK citizenship.Their High Court action is the culmination of a damaging run-in with the Government.Mohammed Fayed, the Harrods' chairman, was a source of the "cash for questions" allegations that resulted in the resignation of junior ministers Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith. Mr Fayed was also behind allegations concerning the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Jonathan Aitken's stay at the Ritz Hotel in Paris - allegations fiercely denied by Mr Aitken.Mr Beloff made no reference to the cash for questions affair. He told Mr Justice Judge only that MPs had raised questions suggesting that the refusal was on "legally improper and political" grounds.Stephen Richards QC, for the Home Secretary said that the brothers' challenge amounted to an attack on the way that all applications were dealt with by the Home Office.The hearing continues today.. A nurse told a court yesterday how babies' lungs could have burst when their life support machines were switched off in an alleged revenge attack by an former hospital worker. Senior staff nurse Susan Parotte was in charge of a Guy's Hospital ward with 11 patients on ventilators suffering from breathing problems when the system went down. Nurses rushed to disconnect the ventilators, which supply a mixture of air and pure oxygen, and replace them with hand operated pumps.Moments later she had a phone call from the paedeatric ward where the ventilators were also down and there was a shortage of staff.The staff nurse told the Old Bailey how the risks were much higher when manually ventilating babies because their lungs were more fragile than adults.Mrs Parotte said: "When you have a baby with only a small lung you need to know how much oxygen or air to give them."She was asked if lungs could burst and replied: "Yes."Anthony McGrory, 34, is accused of sabotaging machinery controlling the supply of heat, air and hot water on 24 October 1994 in revenge for being made redundant from his job as a maintenance worker at the hospital.

Mr McGrory, of Croydon, denies one charge of causing a nuisance to the public.The trial continues.. Nature conservation experts are to press the Government to take legal steps to eradicate an Australian weed that is over-running some of Britain's most important wildlife habitats. The swamp stonecrop, nicknamed "creeping death" by botanists, is so virulent and difficult to kill that it is spreading rapidly and strangling native plants. Since the weed, crassula helmsii, was first discovered growing in the wild in the south-west of England 20 years ago, it has spread to more than 300 sites all over the country. English Nature, the Government's statutory adviser on wildlife conservation, is to recommend that it be added to the schedule of plants which it is illegal to release into the countryside, joining Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed.Swamp stonecrop, which is yellow and green with distinctive white petals, was first used as an ornamental plant in gardens during the early part of the century. But the weed, which thrives in ponds and marshes, moved into the wild where it grows vigorously in tight clusters 6ft high smothering other plants and robbing them of oxygen.For nature conservationists a particularly worrying characteristic is that it is so strong that it has no "die-back" period during the winter which might help check its spread.Another difficulty is that it has proved resistant to herbicide, though even when it has apparently been killed off it can quickly re-establish itself."It's very tenacious," said a spokesman for English Nature. "When treated with sprays it will appear to have been killed. Then when you revisit the site you find it was only lying 'dogo' and lo and behold the little bugger will spring up again."English Nature estimates that the weed now affects about 320 parks and nature reserves - including Sites of Special Scientific Interest - all over England, Scotland and Wales, with another 200 suspect sites hit..

JOHN MCKIE It was meant to be the highlight of the year for the British music industry. It ended in an arrest, two threatened writs and a welter of abuse. The world's most famous pop star, Michael Jackson, was gracing the Brit awards with a mimed performance on a high-rise lift, 40ft above the stage, while a chorus of children sang along on stage level, when Jarvis Cocker, the gangly singer of maverick Britpop group Pulp, ran on stage with a friend.According to witnesses, Cocker, 32, and Peter Mansell started dancing on the stage at London's Earls Court arena and flicking "V-signs" at Jackson, who was surrounded by billows of smoke. They were then allegedly swiftly tackled by security guards, masquerading as Jackson's chorus, injuring three children slightly, but not seriously, in the process.Cocker's evening ended at Kensington Police Station at 3am, where he was not charged but is due to recommence discussions with police on March 11.Jackson has called the behaviour "disgusting and cowardly" and claimed the three children, aged between 11 and 12, were "attacked". Cocker has denied any intent to injure, and accused Jackson of "Christ-like" delusions.