He complained to his New York business audience that people who are hardly rich pay the top rate

He complained to his New York business audience that people who are “hardly rich” pay the top rate of income tax. This comes in at about pounds 30,000 a year, while he did not deny suggestions that he wants to guarantee no tax rises for anyone up to pounds 40,000 a year. We want to be fair between them all,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.Although Mr Blair has not publicly provided any figures, he has allowed his definition of “middle-income Britain” to be set for him on his American trip. John Prescott.In the wake of Mr Blair’s American speech defining Labour as a centre party for middle-class people, Mr Prescott admitted yesterday that he no longer regarded himself as working class: “I was once, but by being a Member of Parliament, I can tell you, I’m pretty middle class.”But he denied he had sold out “We’re not selling our soul We think we can be fair to middle class or working class. JOHN RENTOUL

Political Correspondent
Now that Tony Blair has made it safe to admit to being middle class in the “new” Labour Party, the first out of the closet is.

A female nurse held for questioning was released on police bail.. The auxiliary nurse was arrested after an internal hospital inquiry. The results were given to police who launched their own investigation. Shaun Darrock, 21, was remanded in custody by Bolton magistrates charged with the attempted murder of William Winnard, 51, and ill-treatment of George Hunt, 86, at Bolton General Hospital. A nurse was accused of trying to murder a patient yesterday after an investigation into alleged ill-treatment at a psychiatric ward. Nor did he mention that Labour won Monmouth in May 1991 on a 12 per cent swing – a mere half the size of Thursday’s landslide in Staffordshire.What will frighten Tory MPs in marginal seats about Thursday’s vote was that it suggested the opinion polls might actually present an accurate picture of the electorate’s mood. With Labour currently an average of 29 points ahead.SE Staffs: Full resultB Jenkins (Lab) 26,155(60%)J James (C) 12,393(28%)J Davy (Lib Dem) 2,042(5%)A Smith (UK Ind) 1,272(3%)Lord David Sutch (Official Monster Raving Loony Party) 506; Sharron Edwards (National Democrat, formerly National Front) 358, Steven Mountford (Liberal) 332, Leslie Tucker (Churchill Conservative) 123, News Bunny (The Official News Bunny Party) 85, Neville Samuelson (Daily Loonylugs Earing Up The World) 80, Frederick Sandy (Action Against Crime Life Means Life) 53, David Lucas (Natural Law Party) 53, Alan Wood (Democratic Restoration of the Death Penalty) 45.Lab majority 13,762Swing C to Lab: 22%Turnout: 59.6%1992 result: D Lightbown (C) 29,180; B Jenkins (Lab) 21,988; N Penlington (Lib Dem) 5,540 C maj: 7,192..

But with Peter Snow’s famous House of Commons graphic showing a theoretical majority for Mr Blair of 453, the Tory line of defence had shifted by midday.John Major led a chorus of ministers drawing attention to a similar swing in March 1991: “I remember many people consigned the Government to oblivion after the Ribble Valley by-election where the swing was the same.” He went on to win the largest ever vote in the general election a year later, he said.What he omitted to mention was that Ribble Valley’s 25 per cent swing was to the Liberal Democrats, who are capable of bigger upsets as a traditional centre party. Twisted metal wreckage at the site suggested that explosive devices were being tested there.Last month, it was indicated that the IRA had developed a powerful new “barracks-buster” mortar.. JOHN RENTOUL

Political Correspondent
Thursday’s by-election in Staffordshire South East was the second-worst Conservative defeat by Labour since the war – exceeded only by that in Dudley West during Tony Blair’s “honeymoon” as the new Labour leader in December 1994.Labour’s Brian Jenkins, leader of the local council, crushed Tory Jimmy James by a margin of more than two-to-one, achieving a 22 per cent swing against the Government.The improvement in Tory performance since the 29 per cent swing in Dudley West was seized on early yesterday by Stephen Dorrell, the Secretary of State for Health. In Brighton, a mountain bike carrying a similar device was left at the Palace Pier, but was made safe.Bicycle bombs had been used before in Northern Ireland, but these were thought to be the first attacks of this kind on the mainland.Meanwhile, it has emerged that Garda patrols discovered a 20-foot crater earlier this week at a remote spot in the Ox Mountains, County Sligo, near the village of Coolaney. The terrorists packed several pounds of Semtex into the pannier bags of two hire bicycles.A bike with a 5lb bomb exploded in the main shopping precinct at Bognor Regis, West Sussex, badly damaging 15 shops. The IRA later acknowledged the device was one of theirs.The suspect has also been questioned about the bicycle bombs used in August 1994. That device was made safe and no-one was injured.On the evening of 18 February, O’Brien killed by his own bomb when it ripped apart the bus he was on as it passed along Aldwych, also in central London.

Enough Semtex and bomb making equipment for a further 20 bombs were found later at O’Brien’s flat in Lewisham, south east London, with numerous documents.In the early hours of 9 March, another small Semtex bag bomb exploded in Old Brompton Road, Fulham, west London, causing minor damage. This permits suspects to be held for up to 48 hours, meaning he has to be charged or released by this morning.British anti-terrorist sources yesterday confirmed their interest in the suspect. Scotland Yard declined to confirm that they would make an early application for his extradition, but it is understood this will happen shortly.The IRA brought the ceasefire to an abrupt end with a 1,000lb fertiliser bomb planted in a truck that was left at South Quay in London’s Docklands on 9 February. On 15 February, a 5lb Semtex bomb was left in a holdall inside a telephone box in Charing Cross Road, central London. JASON BENNETTO and ALAN MURDOCH in Dublin

A 27-year-old man was being held in Dublin yesterday in connection with IRA activities in mainland Britain, including the recent London bombing campaign that shattered the ceasefire.
Anti-terrorist police are expected to apply for the man’s extradition, although it is understood he is not being linked to the Docklands bomb in which two people died.His arrest on Thursday morning followed a surveillance operation launched by the Irish Garda’s Special Branch when the 17-month IRA ceasefire ended in February.It is believed the incidents the man will be questioned over include the three Semtex “bag bombs” that exploded in central London, one of which accidentally detonated on a double decker bus killing the IRA terrorist Edward O’Brien.It is understood he was quizzed by the Garda yesterday about 1994 bombs in Brighton and Bognor Regis, which involved bicycle frames packed with explosives.The man, from the north Dublin suburb of Finglas, was detained under the terms of Irish anti-terrorist legislation. Under a price with the EU’s beef management committee of pounds 220 per 100 kilos, other countries have jumped at the chance to guarantee a return on their beef in the midst of consumer doubts rather than take a gamble on a market upturn. The NFU called the lack of UK interest in the offer astonishing and disappointing.Other European countries are selling thousands of tons of beef into storage while UK meat traders are selling just 140 tons.

France sold nearly 2,500 tons of beef while Germany is handing over more than 4,000 tons.Mr Scott said with more than half the beef supplies possibly being taken out of the system, Britain will be short of beef: “Therefore it makes no sense at all to start taking the best quality beef away from the housewife and putting it into deep- freeze.”. Peter Scott, director of the Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers, representing 85 per cent of 450 slaughterhouses in Britain, said that without compensation the majority will go under.Meanwhile, the federation yesterday said it would reject a European offer to buy up thousands of tons of unwanted beef, which came out of the talks in Brussels. But the abattoirs want compensation for unsaleable stocks worth more than pounds 70m, at present in store as a result of the collapse in the UK beef market. Renderers, who specialise in processing animal waste, have already been told they are to receive pounds 112m a year to make up for the loss of business in bonemeal for animal feed and beef products such as gelatin.Slaughterhouses have been offered a pounds 53m package. She stressed that the only carcasses to be entirely incinerated would be confirmed or suspected BSE cases. The nine incineration plants licensed to destroy cattle can cope with 3,000 carcasses a week.However, officials were tight-lipped on the compensation package drawn up for other parts of the industry. For around three months the Government will not be able to limit the destruction to the 15,000 normally slaughtered every week at the end of their productive life owing to the backlog of up to 100,000 old cows and a further 100,000 younger animals more than 30 months old awaiting slaughter on farms.A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food confirmed the logistics proposals placed on the negotiating table in Brussels.