Shropshire MP barred from taking cow to Palace of Westminster

I don't make these stories up, you know. This one is in the Shropshire Star:

Shropshire MP Daniel Kawczynski had a beef with the Commons authorities because they have refused to let him take a cow into the parliamentary precincts.

The Shrewsbury & Atcham MP sought permission to take one of his constituent’s cattle to Westminster as part of a demonstration by farmers later this month.

The animal was to have been used to illustrate the threat from bovine tuberculosis to Britain’s dairy industry, but the Tory MP has been told cows are not among the few animals allowed on to the premises.

Mr Kawczynski’s request went right to the top - to Commons Speaker Michael Martin, who confirmed that the Palace of Westminster is a no-go area for cattle.

But it may not be quite as Ealing Comedy as it sounds. In Conservative circles a demand for something to be done about bovine TB usually translates as "Gas All Badgers Now".