Irvine casts spell

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, has cast himself as a busy man - too busy, indeed, to meet any solicitors over his decision to freeze legal aid rates.

But he found 30 minutes to spend with last week's hugely bizarre visit to the Houses of Parliament of popster Michael Jackson, spoon-bender Uri Geller, magician David Blaine, and singer and celebrity Tory Patti Boulaye.

A Lord Chancellor's Department spokeswoman said the meeting was arranged by Lord Janner - who apparently got to know them through membership of the Magic Circle (the real one, rather than the top City law firms, presumably) - and that after sharing some orange juice together, Lord Irvine showed them around the House.

Quite what he made of them is anyone's guess, but solicitors will not be entirely surprised if it turns out that Lord Irvine has been taking advice on legal aid policy from Wacko Jacko for some years now.

Or perhaps David Blaine taught him a quick lesson: now you see legal aid pay, now you don't.