Reid allies turn on 'west London w*****'

Hostilities between John Reid and Jeremy Paxman escalated today when allies of the Health Secretary branded the Newsnight anchorman a "west London w*****".

Dr Reid is allegedly still fuming after he was involved in an astonishing on-screen bust up with Paxman.

The showdown saw the Health Secretary accuse the particular presenter of insulting his Glaswegian accent.

Government figures are reported to be so angry at the way Dr Reid was treated they are considering boycotting the programme. A source close to Dr Reid indicated he took exception to being described as "Labour's attack dog."

"These people are not living in the real world. They are just w****** living in a west London bubble.

"Why should we bother with them when they have an audience of less than 200,000?" the ally of Dr Reid told the Daily Mirror.

Asked if Labour was considering boycotting the programme, he said: "We'll have to see what they want to talk about. You can't call a Cabinet minister a dog."

But friends of Paxman said he was simply doing his job. Sir John Mortimer, the barrister and Rumpole author, said Paxman was "wise, very charming and very fair."

"He is not a rottweiler as some people say. I was a barrister and I was far crueller to people," he said.