Welsh Secretary David Jones defends short Jaguar trips

Welsh Secretary David Jones pictured getting into his ministerial car last year

Welsh Secretary David Jones has defended his use of a chauffeur-driven car to drive the short distance between his office and Downing Street.

He has been dubbed "Jones the Jag" by Labour for making the 100m journey by his ministerial vehicle to attend Tuesday's cabinet meeting at No 10.

The minister said he was not troubled, and dismissed it as "not a big deal".

He said he used the car regularly "because I'm always consulting papers right up to the last minute".

Mr Jones told the Daily Post: "It [travelling by car] enables me to do so without physically going through security at the gate, having to remove my coat or jacket.

"Plenty of secretaries of state go there by car - I'm not going to name colleagues - probably for exactly the same reasons I do and most secretary of state offices are within walking distance.

"I'm not in any sense troubled by this, it is all part of it.

"It's not a big deal."

A Wales Office spokesperson said: "The Secretary of State for Wales, Mr David Jones, did travel by car to cabinet as he was reading cabinet papers and briefing until his arrival at Downing Street."

Hiss Labour shadow, Owen Smith earlier said: "We like giving people a nickname in Wales: Evans the Milk, Dai the Pop...and now we've got Jones the Jag as our secretary of state."