Cook wants to be alone

Former foreign secretary Robin Cook has complained to Edinburgh city council about the prospect of flats being occupied by students. Mr Cook, who has a flat in one of the city's most affluent areas, is opposing a "house of multiple occupation" on the grounds of the "youthful tenants'" likely hours and noise level. He is quoted as saying: "I remain very prominent in public life and it is important for me that my home base is a place of privacy where I am secure from any form of confrontation."