A GREAT day for the North-East and a great day for The County pub in Aycliffe. The leaders of two of the most powerful countries in Europe popped in for a swift half or two.

But as befits visiting dignitaries not necessarily used to every local custom, there was one slight awkward moment.

In what amounted to sacrilege for ale-lovers, one of the two leaders drank his pint of York-brewed Marston Moor Brewer's Pride without letting it settle.

It wasn't Jacques Chirac. He was on the Kronenberg and looked as though he'd downed a pint before.

But let's be kind to local Sedgefield MP Tony Blair and assume he was just taking an early gulp for the cameras.

And any suggestions that the Prime Minister tried to stick a cocktail umbrella and straw into his pint are entirely without foundation.

SO did Downing Street order the Aycliffe eaterie to make sure British beef was diplomatically off the menu?

Andrew Brown, chef/proprietor at the County, denies it. He chose ''confit of lamb'' because he and his staff were cooking for 50 people.

The County just hadn't got the facilities to cook 50 steaks served up simultaneously for that number of guests, said Andrew.

But whatever the modesty of the Aycliffe inn, Jacques Chirac was impressed. ''He said our food was better than Downing Street's,'' purred a delighted Mr Brown yesterday.

But sneakily, Number 10 had checked out the County cuisine the day before. Two top agents secretly penetrated deep into County Durham to sample the sandwiches.

It's not that Mr Blair doesn't know every major watering hole in his Sedgefield constituency, you understand. He just wanted to make absolutely sure that Jacques Chirac wouldn't turn his nose up.

Anyway, these two Downing Street official tasters ordered two lots of sandwiches. And then they attempted to pay for four lots - because they couldn't get their metropolitan heads around how cheap a North-East sandwich was.

Now if that isn't evidence of the North/South divide, I don't know what is.

STEPHEN Byers has a cold. It's unfair to mock. But I can't resist.

The Trade Secretary and North Tyneside MP this week told the Commons about something called a ''gas-powered fire station''.

Sounds fascinating but I don't think that's quite what he meant.

WE know Tony Blair is no Margaret Thatcher. He's his own man - not some phoney version of the Iron Lady. Staff at Downing Street have known that for years.

This week's Number 10 press conference to boast how marvellous the New Deal started 15 minutes late.

''Not in Margaret Thatcher's day. She was right on time, every time,'' said a misty-eyed Downing Street worker who took me up in the lift.

BIG week for Hilary Armstrong. No, not her annual unveiling of the local government settlement which as ever had all of us on the edge of our seats, or the celebration of her 55th birthday.

I'm referring to the press speculation that the Durham North-West MP and Local Government Minister will join the Cabinet after the election.

She's on track to be head of a new Social Inclusion government department because our Tony rates her, said the papers.

Hilary poured cold water on it. Downing Street said it was news to Mr Blair.

Must be something in it, then.

www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/news/ westminster.htm