My brother Paul, who's holidaying in Los Angeles at the moment, has forwarded me an extract of a blog by BBC political reporter Justin Webb.

Webb was lamenting the fact that most of the media had been unable to join Barack Obama on his trip to Iraq for security reasons.

He adds: "My previous trip on Air Force One was to Teesside in North-East England (when Bush visited Trimdon), so Iraq would have been a glamorous addition, but it was not to be."

Surely, this BBC chap isn't suggesting that Iraq has more glamour than my home town of Middlesbrough?

How dare he? I intend to get the Mayor, Ray Mallon, onto this immediately.