He telephoned fellow presenter James Whale, telling listeners he was naked and with a women called Claudia.

Mr Draper, who was previously an aide to former Trade Secretary Peter Mandelson, quit his job as a political lobbyist last year after an investigation by the Observer showed he was offering introductions to government ministers for cash payments.

Since then he has worked as a radio presenter and newspaper columnist.

Blair faces fresh call for hunt ban

Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing fresh calls to ban hunting with dogs after a survey shows massive support for a ban among Labour MPs.

A survey by the Parliamentary Labour Party which quizzed two-thirds of Labour MPs found that all but one of them wanted a ban on hunting with dogs.

More than 60% of MPs questioned favoured a complete end to hunting.

Following the survey the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals, made up of the RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, is writing to Mr Blair urging him to act on the results.

GP Bill survives attack

The Tories have failed to block a bill that would scrap one of the flagship policies of their last administration - GP fundholding.

An opposition amendment opposing a second reading for the Health Bill, setting up Primary Care Trusts, was defeated by 368 votes to 127.

Health Secretary Frank Dobson said: "We promised to stop the rot in the NHS and we have. But it's not enough just to save the NHS. We are reversing the decline and making sure its prospects are bright."

But Tory former Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke said the bill would do "very considerable harm". It was "bureaucratic in the extreme" and would stifle initiatives by "go ahead" family doctors.

Local authorities escape capping

No local authorities in England will have their spending capped this year the government has announced.

But the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott warned he would monitor the finances of 12 local authorities which set the largest budgets and council tax rises for 1999-2000 to ensure they "act more responsibly".

Mr Prescott said: "For the first time since the introduction of the council tax, authorities were not told what to do by the government. Average Band D taxes rose by 6.8% this year, compared with 8.6% rises last year."

The monitored authorities, which will be reviewed over two years, are: Ashfield, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kingston upon Thames, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Shropshire, South Cambridgeshire, Tewkesbury, Torbay, Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority, and Woking.