NIGEL Evans is leading a campaign to return the "modernised" House of Commons hours to their old afternoon start and late night sittings.

The Ribble Valley MP believes that starting in the morning and supposedly finishing at 7pm has been a mistake.

Mondays still keep the old hours of starting at 2.30pm and finishing at 10pm and now Mr Evans wants Tuesdays and Wednesdays to be the same.

He said: "You just can't be in three places at once. I find it increasingly difficult to do my constituency work, attend committees and go to Shadow Cabinet meetings when the Chamber is sitting. It just hasn't worked."

And the Tory MP has the unqualified backing of Rossendale and Darwen's Janet Anderson.

The former Labour minister said: "It just doesn't work. I think I am doing less work than I did before my trying to be everywhere at once.

"If people wanted a 9-5 job they should go on the check-out at Tesco and not become an MP."

BURNLEY MP Peter Pike is seeking to reassure opponents of hunting foxes but he has not changed sides.

The Labour backbencher abstained in the last vote on the issue. But he had a reason -- he will be one of the chairmen of the committee stage of the Bill where it is examined line by line and thus he is not allowed to vote.

But he reassured opponents of the "bloodsport" that the continues to support a complete ban on hunting and his confidence that as chairman of the committee he will play his part in bringing the ban about.

HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope found his visit to Italy rather more exciting than he expected when he went there with the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

A routine assessment of the new Italian Presidency of the European Union turned into a massive row when the Italian Premier Silvo Berlusconi accused a German Euro MP of behaving like a Nazi for heckling his opening speech.

Now German President Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled a trip to Italy and Mr Berlusconi's aides are portraying the whole episode as a joke that misfired.

They claim it was a reference to German guard Schultz -- the same name as the MEP -- in the old "Hogan's Heroes" American prison camp drama currently running on Italian TV.

Mr Pope said: "I don't believe it. This is a dreadful start to the Italian presidency."

GOVERNMENT Minister Lord Evans had to apologise this week over his poor geography.

The Pendle Peer Lord Greaves asked him about post office closures in Colne.

Lord Evans said he was very concerned about the problem in Colne Valley -- which is the other side of the Pennines.

Former Pendle MP Lord Hoyle pointed out it was in Lancashire, telling the former publisher: "I know it is North of Watford, but surely that is no excuse."