Prime Minister David Cameron popped into the Tetley factory in Stockton-on-Tees on Tuesday for a cup of tea.
The PM thanked the brand for its record on employment and training, and for being “a fantastically successful business exporting all over the world”.
He went on to quote his 19th century predecessor William Ewart Gladstone, who said: “The great thing about a cup of tea is that if you’re cold it warms you up, if you’re hot it cools you down, if you’re depressed it makes you happy, and if you’re too excited it can calm you down.”
There had been times during the election campaign, Cameron said, when he’d needed all of those things, “and several cups of Tetley to go with it”.
It doesn’t look as if the PM received a biscuit to go with his cuppa, but one thing is clear. He has certainly reignited the debate over whether consuming hot liquids reduces body temperature.
