A football match between politicians and press has thrown up serious impartiality questions.

Labour city councillor and official FA-approved linesman Ed Turner awarded a penalty after the shadow chancellor Ed Balls hit the deck during the friendly ahead of Labour’s party conference.

But Mr Balls told Sky News: “The press are saying I went down easy. A bit of sour grapes.”

“The referee said to me ‘stonewall penalty’ straight away.

“That was confirmed by the FA-approved linesman, who as it happens turns out to be a Labour councillor in Oxfordshire. We are keeping that quiet,” he joked.

He said he was conscious of the potential for “Balls misses open goal” headlines when he stepped up to take the kick.

“But I had the ball and I had a penalty and I thought: time to score.”

He did, and the politicians won 3-0.

WE all know conference season is an exciting time for politicians, but no-one was as excited as Labour city councillor Bev Clack.

Dr Clack was seen on national TV, positioned just behind an old teacher of Ed Miliband, and seemed to be doing her fair share of jumping up and down.

She also used Twitter to inform chief spin doctor Alistair Campbell that she was sat just behind him.

But she didn’t get as emotional as former party leader Neil Kinnock, who was reportedly in tears after the keynote speech by Mr Miliband.

Newshounds in Headington went to the rescue after a popular personality was “killed off” by the internet.

Fans were shocked when the Wikipedia page for infamous shark house owner and radio presenter Bill Heine announced his demise.

But the supposedly dead DJ carried on tweeting, arousing suspicion the fact-filled site was telling fibs.

So the operators of the Headington News twitter feed corrected the entry, and informed Mr Heine, who replied: “What fun... did the entry say how and when I died?”

ED Miliband may have been accused of playing a class card in his speech, but councillor Mark Lygo also played one in his excuses for not attending conference.

Mr Lygo, the city board member for running around, tweeted: “wish I was in Manchester #moneystopsmeagain.”