PETER Luff achieved quite a coup this week - outflanking Alan Milburn in the Commons.

He forced the Health Secretary into a factual blunder, a rare event given that Mr Milburn is normally a very impressive despatch box speaker.

It was not on a question of health that Peter got the upper hand, though.

It was on what is widely regarded as another of Mr Milburn's specialist subjects - Trotskyism.

Mr Milburn is famous for working in a "Trot" bookshop in the days before new Labour.

(The Newcastle shop was called Days of Hope-- but is known in folklore as "Haze of Dope".)

So he felt comfortable in correcting Mr Luff when he made the following remarks in a debate on plans to give private firms a greater role in the NHS.

Revolution

"On the subject of Trotskyism, can I remind the Secretary of State that he's the Trotskyist because he's keeping the NHS in a state of permanent revolution."

Mr Milburn snapped back: "I think, if my memory serves me right, permanent revolution was more of a feature of Maoism than Trotskyism."

But, alas, he was wrong. Historians will tell you that it was Trotsky who was the permanent revolutionary.

Mr Luff was delighted at the blunder and resolved to make sure Mr Milburn knew what he had done.

He dashed off to the Commons library, photo-copied a page from a Russian history book and dashed off to see Mr Milburn's staff.

He said: "I gave the page to his permanent secretary.

Let's just say that he was not amused."