The Times reports that Downing Street is coming under palace pressure to ensure that the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations are not a flop.

Only a handful of parties are so far planned, as excessive red tape means party organisers must take out public liability insurance and obtain planning permission to close roads, claims the newspaper. Ministers may act to subsidise street parties by waiving the costs involved in organising such events.

A Buckingham Palace source said: "There is great nervousness at the level of public response by comparison with the extraordinary success of 1977. There are endless meetings to try to find ways to capture the public imagination."