Peer review

Alumnus to be proud of no 162 got himself rebuked in 17th-century English as the House of Lords reached the final stages of the Teaching and Higher Education Bill this week. Centre of what passes for a storm in the Upper House (see back page) was Lord Whitty, a.k.a Larry Whitty, general secretary of the Labour Party from 1985 to 1994. Lord Whitty, now a government whip, appears to have had excellent preparation in irritating peers of the realm - he attended St John's College, Cambridge, whence he emerged with a degree in economics.