SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Fury at Lord Patten's 'uncouth abuse' of Jacob Rees-Mogg amid demands he step down from role at his former day school

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Lord Patten (pictured) is the embodiment of the Establishment 

No one embodies the great and good of the Establishment more convincingly than Lord Patten, the well-nourished Chancellor of Oxford University and former Chairman of the BBC.

But his seat in the Lords and his web of connections have failed to insulate him from an angry demand that he should stand down, with immediate effect, from his role as patron of his old private Roman Catholic day school, St Benedict's in Ealing, because of his 'uncouth abuse' of Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.

John Burke, who was also at £16,845-a-year St Benedict's, has written to the school, demanding that action is taken.

'I was absolutely disgusted with what he said,' says Burke, referring to Patten's claim that Rees-Mogg was a 'caricature' with no idea about trade deals who had been 'taken over by his own image'.

'This is uncouth abuse of a fellow Catholic,' adds Burke, who draws attention to what he says is Patten's unwillingness to engage in civilised debate.

'Anybody with a Benedictine education would be expected to prove his case.'

St Benedict's Old Boys, or Old Priorians as they are known, include comedian Julian Clary and former Labour MP Dennis MacShane. 

Patten is accused of 'uncouth abuse' of Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured)

 More recently the school was engulfed by a sex abuse scandal that resulted in the arrest and conviction of two monks. In response, Lord Carlile was commissioned to compile a report, the publication of which resulted in changes to the school's governance,

During his days as the last Governor of Hong Kong — where his enthusiasm for guzzling his way through the colony's restaurants earned him the name 'Fatty Pang' — Lord Patten, 74, invited the young Rees-Mogg, whose father was a family friend, to stay at the Governor's residence until he could find a flat of his own. Yesterday his Oxford office did not respond to a request for comment.

Burke is unimpressed. 'He should resign,' he tells me.  

TV presenter Julia Bradbury is a source of constant entertainment to her three children. 'Everyone's always laughing when I'm putting on my lotions and potions at night,' she says.

'I do face yoga exercises — you blow out your cheeks and swap the air from one side to the other, to try to keep the skin as mobile and elastic as possible. The kids think it's hilarious.'  

David Bowie needed a hit to boost his finances when guitarist Nile Rodgers sprinkled magic dust on a half-finished folk song called Let's Dance. But the star wasn't keen to share the credit. 'I was a little angry that he didn't give me the love,' admits Rodgers. 'He started to resent me. And I'm thinking to myself: 'Whoa, David, this is what you asked for.' ' What did Rodgers contribute to the chart-topper? 'Everything. I'm just being honest,' he says. 

Amber's sheer daring as Cliff and Shirley catch up

High emotion in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon yesterday as 81-year-old superstar Dame Shirley Bassey, eye-catchingly clad in yellow and black, embraced fellow pop icon Sir Cliff Richard, 77.

Also getting away from it all was Amber Rudd, who has been spared the cares of office since resigning as Home Secretary in April.

81-year-old superstar Dame Shirley Bassey, eye-catchingly clad in yellow and black, embraced fellow pop icon Sir Cliff Richard, 77

Also getting away from it all was Amber Rudd, who has been spared the cares of office since resigning as Home Secretary in April.

The 54-year-old mother of two opted for a nautically inspired dark blue fishnet dress that boldly showed off her thighs. Perhaps she wore it in homage to voters in her seaside constituency of Hastings & Rye.

The late Lord Carrington, who died this week at the age of 99, liked to while away dull meetings by penning limericks.

His former colleague Kenneth Baker recited to the House of Lords one such verse which Carrington wrote about Lord Marshall, sometime chairman of National Power whose speeches would keep the Upper House sitting until the small hours:

The noble Lord Marshall of Goring

Is frightfully, frightfully boring,

And when we come

To 20 to one

I think I'll hear sounds of snoring.  

Emilia Fox's distress over poorly parents

Silent Witness star Emilia Fox has spoken of her concern about the health of her mother, actress Joanna David, who's had brain surgery and been diagnosed with an incurable ear condition.

Emilia, 43, whose father is Day Of The Jackal actor Edward Fox, says: 'I am massively attached to my mum and dad. They live nearby and I see them all the time, which is lovely.

'But they're getting older and inevitably they have health issues. My mum had a brain operation, which had a big effect on her health.

'More recently she has been dealing with Meniere's syndrome — a disorder of the inner ear — which is horrible as there's no known cure. Watching her go through that has been hard.

'My dad also had a health scare last year.

'My parents have been my attachment figures for so long and the thought of them not being there is one of my big fears.' 

• The world's oldest working supermodel Daphne Selfe, 90, gives short shrift to raunchy behaviour on reality TV.

'Why would any young lady want to have sex on TV or bare their bodies like they do on these shows?' says Selfe at Alistair Guy's At Home with La Perla. 'Where's the talent? It's disgusting. 'I certainly will not be watching Love Island.'

All eyes were on M&S lingerie model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

M&S Rosie's hooked on £340 stilettos...

All eyes were on M&S lingerie model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley when she stepped out in Beverly Hills yesterday.

The 31-year-old, who has a one-year-old son, Jack, with her film star fiance Jason Statham, wore a pair of white trousers that were cuffed at the ankles showing off a pair of striking Jacquemus £340 stilettos that looked like upside-down coat hooks.

The 5ft 9in Devonian blonde has been dating Jason, 51, for seven years, but they have yet to tie the knot.

Tory MP Nicky Morgan is hauling her Treasury select committee to the Farnborough Air Show next week to put questions to Bank of England governor Mark Carney and others. Why Hampshire? 'The Committee was invited to meet businesses there as part of its Brexit inquiries on the day of the Committee's Financial Stability Report session, so just merging the two,' says a spokesman. Chin, chin . . .