TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan is “quite feisty” but “has a good heart”, former British minister and New Labour architect Peter Mandelson has said.

The battle for the British Labour leadership sparked into life today, as one of the architects of New Labour, Peter Mandelson, warned victory for Ed Miliband could take the party into an “electoral cul-de-sac”.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's attempts to hold on to power were thwarted by Nick Clegg's demand that he step aside as part of any coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, it was reported today.

WITH two opinion polls last night still pointing to a hung parliament, Labour’s election supremo Peter Mandelson said the Tories had failed to recover the lead they enjoyed at the start of the campaign.

Labour fought back today against charges that it has not been straight with voters over public finances after an independent economic think tank warned Britain was heading for cuts on a scale unseen for a generation.

Peter Mandelson today issued a warning to straying Labour voters who are considering voting Liberal Democrat – flirt with Nick Clegg and you will end up married to David Cameron.

GORDON BROWN today urged voters not to put Britain’s “fragile” economic recovery at risk by entrusting control to his “novice” rivals.

Gordon Brown today warned that his “novice” rivals could not be trusted to run the economy as he vowed to fight “as though my life depended upon it” to secure the return of a Labour government.

British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson today launched a fierce attack on one of Britain’s richest bankers, as Labour stepped up its pre-election sparring over the state of the economy.

Paris: Britain will be part of the euro one day but not any time soon, British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said yesterday.

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat counterpart, Nick Clegg, both called on 10 Downing Street yesterday to look into allegations of bullying of staff.

Conservative leader David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat counterpart Nick Clegg both called on 10 Downing Street today to look into allegations of bullying of staff.

BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown fought back against claims he terrified staff with his volcanic temper in book extracts which posed a new threat to his general election prospects.

British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson today accused the Tories of jeopardising the North's peace process for the sake of party political advantage.

Peter Mandelson called today for new leadership in Europe to give the EU a key role in the world.

Talks to try to break the deadlocked postal dispute in the UK are expected to resume today as the Royal Mail faces legal action over the recruitment of 30,000 agency staff during the strike.

Thousands of postal workers in the UK started a second day of strikes today, with a fresh wave of action set to be held next week in an escalation of the bitter Royal Mail dispute.

Thousands of postal workers manned picket lines across Britain today at the start of national strikes as a war of words erupted over the increasingly bitter mail dispute.

National strikes by British postal workers will go ahead tomorrow and Friday after hopes of reaching a last minute deal collapsed.

Bosses of collapsed UK car maker MG Rover are to find out whether the failed firm could be subject to a criminal investigation.

GORDON Brown’s most powerful cabinet ally Peter Mandelson has called on Labour to “roll its sleeves up” and take the fight to the Conservatives instead of handing general election victory to David Cameron “on a plate”.

The British Government today welcomed an announcement by car giant Toyota that it planned to build a full hybrid version of one of its models at its UK factory.

Controversy regarding British membership of the euro was reignited after it emerged that UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said it was "obviously" still an objective of the Government.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s hopes of political survival suffered a fresh blow tonight as a poll of Labour activists found fewer than half wanted him to carry on to the next general election.

Gordon Brown today handed potential rival Alan Johnson the post of Home Secretary as he began his make-or-break reshuffle – which also saw another cabinet minister quit.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was today faced with the task of picking up the pieces of his shattered cabinet and fashioning a reshuffle which can restore his authority and preserve his premiership.

The Bank of England delivered a slap-down to British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson today over his comments that it needed to move faster to improve car financing schemes.

The climate change protester who threw green custard over the UK's Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has been arrested, Scotland Yard said today.

A PROTESTER threw green custard in the face of British business minister Peter Mandelson yesterday, in a stunt to highlight opposition to a new runway at London’s Heathrow airport.

Police launched an inquiry tonight into a green “slime” attack on UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson by a climate change protester.

Huge payouts to executives at banks bailed out by the British government were under scrutiny tonight amid legal moves to claw back any unnecessary payments.

The part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland is being propped up with £20bn (€22.8bn) of the UK's public money and is 68% owned by the British taxpayer.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson today told the Royal Bank of Scotland it risked alienating the public by offering “exorbitant” bonuses to its traders and senior bankers.

The Indian owners of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have agreed to pump “tens of millions” of pounds into the luxury car brand to prevent a cashflow crisis, it was reported today.

Ministers have held discussions with Jaguar Land Rover over the possibility of state assistance for the car maker, Britain's Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has said.

A MEETING of world trade ministers in Geneva to agree an outline deal in global trade talks has been postponed.

A legal challenge against the decision to waive competition law to allow the planned merger of HBOS and Lloyds TSB was rejected today.

The decision to allow the proposed merger of HBOS and Lloyds TSB was not influenced by statements made by the British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer apparently in favour of the plan, a tribunal heard today.

British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson today denied that he was responsible for suggestions that the government could consider taking Britain into the euro in the face of the economic downturn.

British financial giant HBOS is planning to reveal further multibillion-pound writedowns this week amid mounting speculation of a rival bid to scupper its planned tie-up with Lloyds TSB, a report said today.

A rival bid to Lloyds TSB’s proposed takeover of HBOS could emerge after it was confirmed today that talks have taken place about a possible alternative to the deal.

The British government gave Lloyds TSB’s planned merger with HBOS the green light today after overruling competition concerns raised by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

THE new European Trade Commissioner Baroness Ashton has been warned by Mairead McGuinness, MEP, not to take over the flawed policies of her predecessor, Peter Mandelson.

EUROPE’S new trade commissioner to replace Peter Mandelson has been approved by the European Parliament, but she may not be farmer-friendly.