Whenever there are complaints about the cost of ministerial limousines, someone asks whether we really want to live in a country where members of the government travel on the cheap. I can't find a quote to this effect, but I bet that at some point at least one tradionalist pundit has written a column spluttering about how absurd it would be to have a minister of the crown driving around in a Mini.
Anyway, now it's happened. Tom Watson, the Cabinet Office minister, has chosen a Mini as his chauffeur-driven car.
A Mini costs just over £14,000. But, as Watson reveals on his blog, there were other reasons why he chose a Mini instead of a Vauxhall Vectra, a Toyota Prius or a Honda Civic, the cars normally offered to junior ministers.
The vehicle is assembled by British workers, has great environmental prowess - doing more miles to the gallon than most company cars - and is a modern design icon.
The Daily Mail has a picture today of Watson posing with his new limo. "I'm quite broad, but I have no problem getting in and out. I can do my paperwork if I push the seat back," he says.
He claims other ministers will follow his example. We'll see.
