The Greggs dilemma: Cameron comes out as pasty eater
The strange personal confessions which followed the introduction of VAT on hot takeway food continued today, when the prime minister gave details about the last time he ate a pasty.
The description comes a day after George Osborne sneered at a question about when he had last been in a Greggs shop during a grilling at the Treasury committee.
"I can't remember the last time I bought a pasty at Greggs," the chancellor admitted to Labour MP John Mann, who suggested that was part of the problem with his approach to the economy.
Asked when he had last eaten a pasty during a press conference this morning, Mr Cameron was far more detailed.
"I'm a pasty eater myself. I love a hot pasty," he said.
"The last one I bought was from West Cornwall Pasty Company, in Leeds. I chose a large one."
Mr Cameron's memories appeared suspect after it emerged the pasty shop he was referring to closed several years ago.
Network Rail later confirmed there were no pasty shops in Leeds station. An outlet called the Cornish Bakehouse closed a few days ago, prompting online commentators to joke about "the curse of Cameron".
The prime minister's comments prompted humorous exchanges online but they also revealed a strange status for pasties after Budget 2012, with MPs treating the food as the new 'price of milk' – a symbol of how connected a politician is with the public.
Many tabloids criticised the chancellor's decision to tax "hot grub" during last week's Budget as a further sign that lower income families were being hurt while those earning over £150,000 won a substantial tax cut.
