Hammond’s Isis claim quashed

Middle East: Bungling Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was publicly humiliated by PM David Cameron yesterday on the issue of possible British involvement in air strikes against Islamic State.

Mr Hammond told reporters in Berlin: “Let me be clear, Britain will not be taking part in air strikes in Syria. I can be very clear about that.”

But he was swiftly overruled by the Prime Minister’s Office, which maintained that Mr Cameron “has not ruled anything out.”

Minister shrugs off uni boss pay query

Education: Spineless Universities Minister Greg Clark was challenged by a Lib Dem backbencher yesterday on the huge salaries being paid to university vice-chancellors.

Somerton and Frome MP David Heath had demanded to know why some education bosses were earning over £400,000 a year, but was told: “They are now in a competitive environment” and ministers could not do anything about it.

Lucky Scots may see aurora lights

Weather: Scots needing a break from the independence referendum may have an opportunity to do just that tonight when a coronal mass ejection — aka the Northern Lights — fires up the skies.

The Met Office said some parts of Scotland and northern England should have weather clear enough to catch a rare sighting of the shimmering display at around midnight.