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David Cameron buys used £1,495 Nissan Micra for his wife Samantha

'He was just a chap buying a car and that was it, says car dealer Mr Harris

Olivia Blair
Monday 23 May 2016 13:00 BST
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David Cameron and Iain Harris
David Cameron and Iain Harris (Witney Used Car Centre/Facebook)

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A local car dealer had an unexpected client in the form of the Prime Minister when David Cameron popped in to buy a £1,500 Nissan Micra over the weekend.

Iain Harris, a car dealer at Witney Used Car Centre, said he thought it was his friends winding him up when he received a call from Mr Cameron’s security detail saying the Prime Minister would be stopping by on Friday evening.

“I just thought it was one of my friends having a wind up, obviously, as you do,” Mr Harris told the Independent. But when the PM actually turned up he thought: “Oh my god, it is Mr Cameron and he is here and it’s not a wind-up.”

Mr Cameron, who represents the Witney constituency, settled on a blue Nissan Micra which had two previous owners and told Mr Harris the car would be for his wife Samantha.

“He was just like a normal bloke buying a car for his wife,” Mr Harris says. “No airs or graces. That was it really […] take away all the security people around and it was just a chap buying a car and that was it.”

Mr Harris says the Prime Minister’s mechanical knowledge was limited to that of the everyday person. He looked over the car during his half-hour visit before returning on Saturday morning to pay the asking price of £1,495 by card.

Mr Harris said their conversation was limited to cars and stayed clear of politics.

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