CABINET minister Clare Short flew in from Brussels yesterday, to speak at the centenary dinner of a North-East Labour constituency.

The Minister for International Development was guest speaker at the 100th anniversary of Bishop Auckland Constituency Labour Party.

The event was held at Auckland Castle, home of the Bishop of Durham.

Ms Short said social problems that prompted the birth of the Labour party 100 years ago were now the problems experienced in the Third World countries she worked with.

She said: "It was the belief of the Labour party to lift the legacy of the people, and we've continued to improve the life of people in Britain.

"In the job I do with the poorest countries, people are now living in conditions with lots of children working, and malnourishment diseases, and we have to tackle this with the same values we had in Britain 100 years ago."

The evening's four-course meal was following by a service of thanksgiving by the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull.

He said: "There's lots of common ideals between the socialist movement and the Christian faith. A lot of legislation Labour has brought in has been in terms of social justice and equality of opportunity."