Flack: The Week

Our insider reveals that the entire Conservative Party front bench attended the lavish bash, with the notable exceptions of Cameron and George Osborne. Coulson deemed it 'unwise' for the pair to attend, we're told. Did his decision have anything to do with a Daily Mail article stating that Cameron was 'set to defy the credit crunch by going to a lavish black-tie party'? ...

This week, the Tories are railing against the 'financial scandal' of government bodies spending £10m on lobbying. Their report (see page 3) lists big-money contracts and, to top it off, reveals that Positif Politics charged a whopping £588 to the Disability Rights Commission. Mindless extravagance! ...

Talking of mindless, rock behemoth Axl Rose has thrown a hissy fit at Dr Pepper for failing to deliver a free can to everyone in the US to coincide with the band's new album, as promised in a PR stunt. Shame that the band's website still says they are 'very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper' ...

Finally, Carrot Pharma Recruitment has hit us with a big one - it is moving to 'fantastic' new offices in Wilmslow. The offices, gushes the press release, feature a kitchen, meeting room, chill-out area and - get this - a 'pool table come table tennis table'. Go Carrot ...