NIGEL Evans will be cheering for England in the rugby World Cup final on Saturday morning despite his Welsh background.

The Ribble Valley MP will be in the tearoom of Bolton by Bowland Post Office having breakfast as he did last week when the team defeated France.

And he is hopeful that he will be able to go on to the Coach and Horses in the village for a few pints to celebrate lifting the Rugby World Cup as he did after the semi final win.

Although disappointed when Wales lost to England in the quarter final two weeks ago, he was pleased that the team of his fathers played well.

And it's certainly simplified his life as the Swansea born newsagent had no difficulties in cheering for England in his constituency any more.

He conveniently missed the match as he was attending a Remembrance Day service in Clitheroe.

Mr Evans said he had particularly strong reasons to cheer England as former Stonyhurst pupils Will Greenwood, Iain Balshaw and Kyran Bracken are key parts of the team. He hopes they will once again play a vital role in the defeat of Australia tomorrow morning.

However he admits that giving up the job of shadow Welsh secretary in the recent Tory reshuffle made life easier: "If I had been discovered cheering for England in the South Wales valleys, the Conservatives might have lost the few votes that we still get in the principality.

"Mind you, I worry for England as I cheered for Wales in their 1-0 defeat against Russia on Wednesday night so it clearly didn't do any good."

BURNLEY MP Peter Pike this week raged at new Tory leader Michael Howard's decision to order the House of Lords to try and prevent the government's plans for foundation hospitals becoming law.

He told the Commons that in 18 years of Tory rule, at the last ditch the upper chamber always gave in to the elected Commons.

And he said that Tory, Liberal Democrats and cross bench peers should observe the same convention and give in.

PRIME Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw are sponsoring the Blackburn MP's special adviser when he runs in the London marathon in April to raise money to tackle cystic fibrosis.

Ed Owen, who has worked for Mr Straw for more than ten years, has a one-year-old daughter Ella who is one of 7,500 children and young adults who suffer from this life threatening genetic condition.

He and two friends -- Justin Russell, one of the Prime Minister's policy advisers and Mark Davis, a BBC political reporter -- will take part.

The campaign -- which also includes a celebrity football match and a fund raising dinner -- will be launched at Mr Straw's official residence in London next Wednesday, the day of the Queen's Speech.