PRIME Mininster Tony Blair appeared to be increasingly besieged last night. His "botched and shambolic" reshuffle was savaged by MPs in the Commons.

And former Cabinet ministers Robin Cook and Clare Short dealt a further blow when they said they were told by MI6 in the run-up to the war with Iraq that Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction did not pose any immediate threat.

Reports - Page 2

nurse charged: A hospital nursing sister has been accused of attempting to murder five elderly patients. Barbara Patricia Salisbury, 47, who worked at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, was charged yesterday as she answered bail at Crewe police station.

peas and queues: Millions of peas caused traffic chaos yesterday morning after a lorry shed its load on the A1 near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The truck overturned after an accident with a bus, dumping 18 tonnes of peas on to the road.

holby go-ahead: The BBC last night screened an episode of Holby City featuring critically ill actress Laura Sadler after consulting her family. The 22-year-old, who plays staff nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC1 drama, remains in hospital after plunging 40ft from a balcony at the apartment of her boyfriend and co-star George Calil early on Sunday.

coach tragedy: A woman died yesterday when she fell from a double-decker National Express coach on the M6 near Shap, Cumbria. Sandra Ferguson, 43, from Paisley, is thought to have fallen from a side door and beneath the rear wheels of the vehicle.

leslie still waiting: TV presenter John Leslie was last night still waiting to hear officially whether he has been cleared of allegations of sex assaults on three women. A file from the Crown Prosecution Service was passed to the Metropolitan Police on Monday.

curly a dad again: Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy - Curly Watts - was "absolutely delighted" last night after learning he is to be a father for a second time.

here's to you: Glynis Barber is to be the latest actress to play Mrs Robinson in the stage version of The Graduate. The former Dempsey and Makepeace star will join the West End show as it embarks on its first national tour.

gm warning: Genetically modified crops could cross breed via their seeds and not just pollen, scientists warn. Humans and vehicles could inadvertently carry seeds from GM sites into neighbouring fields, according to the French research.