Digby the goat loses yet more friends

How many friends in high places does Britain's outspoken trade minister Lord 'Digby' Jones have left? First, Labour party insiders objected to his appointment to the government by Gordon Brown because he refused to join the party and drop his opposition to the minimum wage. Then his colleagues were furious that he managed to get special dispensation to drive a Jaguar when other Ministers had to go green and change to Toyota Priuses. Now, it seems, he's letting down the side by being rude to foreigners.

Addressing a group of Arab businessmen and diplomats - including the ambassadors of Jordan, Oman and Tunisia - last week, he opened his speech by saying: "I'm half a bulimic - I eat a lot, but I don't throw up," to the astonishment of those assembled at the Cafe Royal.

He went on: "We don't care what colour you are, we don't care if we can't pronounce your names and we don't care where your money comes from. We just want you to invest in our country." As if that wasn't enough, he then completely baffled his audience by saying: "I'm a goat, not a professional politician, so when I go I won't be shunted off to Defra." (Continued below)

One guest at the lunch said: "It was all rather extraordinary. Lord Jones arrived rather late and some people had gone. It was very insensitive and embarrassing."

Some of his allusions have since been explained. A 'goat' in Whitehall speak is someone recruited from outside Westminster to Gordon Brown's 'Government of all the talents'. Defra - the Department of Farming, Environment and Rural Affairs - is regarded by insiders as as a Ministerial cul-de-sac.

As for the "we won't care what colour you are" comment, a spokesman for Lord Jones said: "He was trying to make the point that they were all welcome in Britain, that they could make good money here and make Britain greater."

However, the spokesman was unable to explain the bulimia reference. But he did feel bound to add: "He did not have a drink at the lunch or at any ministerial event that day."