Shamburger: Osborne's 'posh' patty triggers bun fight

WHEN you're a senior figure in government with a reputation for being posh, it's important to watch what you say - and eat.

Chancellor George Osborne has been forced to defend himself after posting a picture of himself on Twitter (see above) eating a late-night burger.

The Chancellor tweeted the image at 10pm on Tuesday night, as he prepared to announce £11.5 billion of cuts in his Spending Review. The picture was accompanied by the message: "Putting final touches to the speech."

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But Osborne's attempt to show the world that he eats burgers and chips just like everyone else backfired in spectacular fashion when The Sun pointed out that his nocturnal snack was a "gourmet meal" costing at least ten pounds.

The newspaper quickly coined the phrase "Shamburger" to describe the offending meal, while the Evening Standard and The Independent both decided the chancellor was embroiled in "Burger-gate".

The Sun revealed the Chancellor's 'man-of-the-people' meal had been ordered from the gourmet food chain, Byron, where hamburgers cost £6.95 upwards - and chips are extra.

Byron's website says it sources "high quality meat from Scotland" and minces it fresh every day, to create "proper hamburgers the way they should be".

The Sun helpfully pointed out that there are ten branches of McDonald's, where burgers cost as little as 99p, in the vicinity of Whitehall.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast the Chancellor defended himself, saying "It is perfectly reasonable to have a hamburger when you are working on a speech."

Osborne explained he did not get a McDonald's meal because the chain does not make deliveries.

Unfortunately for Osborne, Bryon's founder, former Etonian Tom Byng, pointed out that neither does Byron.

To be fair, Osborne has eaten at McDonald's in the past, although it wasn't exactly a PR triumph. In April he was pictured buying a meal from the Golden Arches at a motorway service station while his parliamentary car waited for him in a parking spot reserved for disabled motorists.