A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said 3,500 people were killed and 40,000 injured on the roads every year and speeding was a major cause. "It's obviously very important that government ministers set the right example," he said. "This sends out the wrong message."Mr Straw's driver has not been suspended from duty.Although there is a provision for Special Branch officers to drive at high speed, it is only allowed if it is felt there is a security threat and evasive action has to be taken.Mr Redwood said: "It's another example of a government that says do as I say not as I do. Mr Straw should say he's sorry and I don't think his driver should be protected from the law.

We have to ask whether Mr Straw egged him on because he was late for a meeting."Downing Street insisted it would not intervene in the matter and that the police should decide what happened next, although a spokesman stressed that "the law is the law". A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: "In common with normal procedure we are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.". The much-hyped American visit wasn't quite the biggest invasion of Britain since the Second World War in the end, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless. The much-hyped American visit wasn't quite the biggest invasion of Britain since the Second World War in the end, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless. More than 3,500 US lawyers arrived in London with their families this week for the American Bar Association's (ABA) annual convention, and block-booked everything from theDome to the Tower of London.Nine thousand in all stayed in 80 hotels, attended 225 law sessions and were invited to more than 100 dinners and receptions hosted by the British legal profession. And they attended the Queen Mother's 100th birthday pageant.The numbers were big, but not nearly as big as in 1985, the last time the conference was held here, when 25,000 visited.

The British tourist industry had estimated the Americans would spend about £3m.Since the visit was tax deductible in the US and some were being funding by their firms, they are likely to have spent far more.Famous British brands were falling over each other to cash in on the visit. The Royal jewellers Cartier, Liberty, and Harrods promised to give every delegate who visited one of their stores a "special gift". Burberrys, Austin Reed and Moss Bros offered them generous discounts.Tony and Cherie Blair, Robin Cook, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, all took time out of their schedules to speak to the lawyers. Lord Irvine of Lairg, the Lord Chancellor, even presented the the ABA with a copy of the Doomsday Book.