Can Gordon and Peter be friends?

How will this one work out? Gordon Brown, in Brussels today for talks with José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, is also finding time to meet everybody’s favourite EU commissioner, Peter Mandelson.

There has traditionally been little fondness between the two men. Mandelson backed Tony Blair – over Brown – in 1994, and it is thought that few civil words have been spoken since. Last year Gordon’s nemesis made a point of stating that he would remain in office until 2009, whether the PM wanted him to or not. “I don’t know whether this is going to come as a disappointment to him,” Mandelson said, archly. “But he can’t actually fire me.”

Still, 2009 draws ever closer. Perhaps Mandy fancies making peace and landing a Commons seat again. They’ve got to talk about something.

A first sight (above) of Brad Pitt, riding around on his new motorbike. He was given this custom-built £50,000 beast in December as a birthday present.

The profile of Stephanie Flanders, who is taking over as the BBC’s economics editor, was probably at its highest last year when she asked David Cameron if his tax proposals would penalise her as an unmarried mother. She tells Ariel, the BBC’s in-house magazine, that one paper asked her partner if he would propose in print. He replied that he would, provided that its editor paid for the wedding. Subject dropped.

Friends in high places for Boris Johnson? His father, Stanley, is a member of the Prayer Book Society. “He needs some guidance from above,” said Johnson Sr at the Vanity Fair private view at the National Portrait Gallery. “We’ll get the society to pray for him.”

Fay Weldon told an Oldie lunch of visiting Buckingham Palace with Beryl Bainbridge.

“She couldn’t smoke,” recalled Weldon. “Beryl likes to. She was telling this woman what a terribly boring party it was. Someone dragged her away. You can’t speak to the Queen like that!”

“Oh dear,” said Bainbridge. “I thought it was Vera Lynn.”

Surprising booze buddies at a Stereophonics gig hosted by Q magazine at The Hospital, as Ronnie Wood (of the Rolling Stones) arrived with Ronnie O’Sullivan (of snooker). Wood joined the band for a rendition of Don’t Let Me Down by the Beatles. Then the two Ronnies left.

The Prince of Wales received a silver-plated alcohol gel dispenser while opening the new Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, northwest London. “I’ve always wanted one of these, and now I’ve got one,” he drawled, generations of breeding coming into play.

Postscript

It seems that Sir Mick Jagger has signed a No 10 petition calling for a knighthood for Ken Dodd. And yet, on the petition for Ringo Starr’s knighthood, nothing. Get it together, Sir Mick.

Sir Anthony Hopkins has flown 6,000 miles from his home in Malibu, California, to Caerphilly to unveil a statue of his comic hero Tommy Cooper. Tudor Jones, of the Cooper Society, said: “He knows all the gags.”

Madonna has used Google, she tells Der Spiegel, to dispel her concerns that Rudyard Kipling was a Nazi. “In many first editions of his books there’s a swastika, but I found he spent time in India where it’s a symbol of good fortune,” she says. Sigh.

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