Rat Of The Week

We may be used to seeing rats in our Houses of Parliament, but they seem to be a rarity in the more tranquil setting of the Andalusian parliament in Seville.

Members were considering the appointment of Susana Diaz, the previous regional president, as senator of the region. Midway through her speech, Marta Bosquet, reacted in horror as she noticed a large rat wander through the chamber. Pandemonium broke out as the parliamentarians broke into two factions, those who sought to escape from the creature and those who wanted to capture it, the doves and the hawks, you might say.

Eventually, order was restored, and Ms Diaz was duly appointed. What happened to the rat has not been reported.

There is no truth in the rumour that an invitation to a party of British MPs has been withdrawn.