Remember the Tory peer who warned he could switch to UKIP? Well, here is what UKIP leader Nigel Farage has had to say about about Nigel Vinson. Mr Farage told me that the peer would be welcome to join UKIP.

IT may seem like a long way away, and for many Brits is a tourist destination. But make no mistake, what happens in Greece matters to the UK. It really matters.

A senior businessman put it simply - exports could come to a "grinding halt" if the eurozone crisis continues.

On top of that, the European banking system could be thrown into turmoil - gumming up the flow of credit to such an extent that there is a credit crunch mark II, expect far worse.

What with this talk of David Cameron pushing for a minimum price on booze, I looked up a recent Parliamentary debate on the issue. In fact it was on December 14, just a couple of weeks since the story broke in The Telegraph.

Treasury Minister Chloe Smith was responding to a Westminster Hall debate secured by Tory MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, who was been campaigning on a minimum price for booze.

Here is what the minister had to say: "First, as my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes explained, the Scottish Government have recently introduced a Bill that seeks to bring in a 45p per unit minimum price.

"She asked why this Government believe that that would be incompatible with EU law, when the Scottish Government do not. If I may quote the specific point: we believe that it could be incompatible with article 34 of the treaty of the functioning of the European Union.

"I should be delighted to go into more detail on that if she required. That is the position."

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With David Cameron set to give an update to MPs on the euro summit and the veto he wielded to stop a new treaty in hours, I've just been talking to senior Lib Dem MP Sir Alan Beith about the situation.

He seems clear that Britain must remain in Europe for economic reasons, but fears the proposals set out in the summit will not solve the Euro debt crisis. But the Berwick MP also said there were no extra safeguards for Britain - and the deployment of the "ultimate weapon" had not got anything for Britain.