Liberal Democrat Leader gets rid his old Jag for the sake of the environment

2.11.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 23rd Apr 2006

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Menzies Campbell has given up his beloved Jaguar car to highlight his commitment to the environment. Sir Menzies said he was "tear-stained" to admit that the 20-year-old vehicle is up for sale and being housed in a barn on a farm in East Lothian. He said he was now uses public transport rather than going by car to many of his local election campaign appointments

Sir Menzies spoke out ahead of his party's bid to highlight its "safer, greener, fairer" local government programme. "We all need to use motor cars in a way that is advantageous to the environment but you don't have to go to the polar ice cap like the Tory leader did to deal with environmental problems" he said. Sir Menzies added that the Chancellor's £40 extra rate of vehicle excise on the biggest 4x4 vehicles had hardly caused an uprising in Kensington and Chelsea.