Media executives were out in force at News International's summer party last night, where Mark Thompson rubbed shoulders with Lord Browne, Dawn Airey chatted to Mariella Frostrup and Channel 4's low-key CEO David Abrahams made a brief appearance (as did his predecessor Andy Duncan). David Cameron and his "mini-me" deputy Nick Clegg, along with both Miliband brothers, drank bubbly from incredibly tall champagne glasses while journalists gossiped about Rupert's new super-short hair style (he was sporting an Action Man-style buzzcut). James Murdoch looked natty in a colourful tie, and a couple of Toyota Priuses – the company car driven by Sky execs – were parked outside the Orangery restaurant in Kensington Gardens. They were vastly outnumbered by the gas-guzzlers belonging to the rich, powerful and influential. But the BBC's creative director Alan Yentob cycled to and from the venue. Let's hope NI bosses, who rarely miss an opportunity to attack the Beeb for its supposed largesse, noted this admirable display of parsimony.
