Quantum of Solace

Secret government documents about al-Qaida and the sovereign, independent Iraqi government's security forces were left on a train yesterday by a senior security official.

A passenger found the documents and handed them to the BBC's security correspondent, who used the incident in a blatant attempt to humiliate the Government in a Bolshevist propaganda exercise on which the Conservatives are already capitalising.

The incident will be seen by the Government as highlighting the crying evil of senior intelligence officers being forced to use public transport rather than taxpayer-funded Aston Martins with ejector seats and machine guns built into the headlamps.

Fortunately, the Government has today succeeded in getting its bill for six-week internment without charge through Parliament.

The Home Office has said that the powers in the bill, though of transcendental importance, are not actually intended for use. Still, the passing of the bill is thought to be a major victory in the war against terrorism, as it will further radicalise policemen and help senior intelligence personnel not to leave secret documents on trains.

Preparations for a new counter-terror bill, extending the period of detention to a random number of days somewhere between 49 and 90, are expected some time next month.

Meanwhile, the British intelligence industry is basking in its new-found sense of efficiency and purpose. "This is a blunt reaffirmation of British intelligence values," said intelligence spokesbeing Philby Maclean.