Huntingdon Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly hosted a Jewish Child's Day fundraiser at the Houses of Parliament last week.

After the 50 guests had enjoyed a tour of the Commons and the Lords, Mr Djanogly told them of the poignancy of the recent 150th anniversary of the first Jewish MP, Lionel de Rothschild. "It was very moving for me, thinking about the person who paved the way for me to do what I do," he said. "Many rights we take for granted were fought for very hard."

He said the main issues to be discussed when Parliament reconvenes were "the ability of the Prime Minister to hang on to power, and handling the credit crunch. For those of us who believe in capitalism, it's been a terrifying experience. If the Prime Minister is ousted, I do think the demands for a general election will become overwhelming. We're headed for some exciting party conferences."

The evening raised £3,000 towards supporting disadvantaged or abused children under JCD's grant-giving scheme. Executive director Daniel Burger said it was part of a drive to raise awareness of JCD among young professionals. "Our last event with guest speaker Theo Paphitis was very well received," he reported.