THE "luvvies" in the British financial public relations business have been getting very exercised at the blame being attached to them for the reprehensible business of leaks to the media. Now, a group of them have taken it on themselves to write to the Takeover Panel expressing outrage at the view that PR firms are the weak link in the leaking of sensitive information.

Furthermore, Lowe Bell's Piers Pottinger has pointed out that the ones actually prosecuted for leaking price-sensitive information have been brokers, bankers, solicitors and accountants - and not the spin doctors.

The whole question of leaks by PR people erupted after Financial Dynamics - one of the biggest City PR firms was publicly rebuked by the Takeover Panel for leaks about is client