Ôdead-ringerÕ in downing street

The Prime Minister received a special birthday present for Ôcoming outÕ as a spectacle wearer from a lookalike William Hague last weekend. In a Downing Street publicity stunt, organised by Specsavers Opticians, the ÔLeader of the OppositionÕ handed a bouquet decorated with pairs of spectacles just prior to the announcement of a general election. The PM was seen wearing spectacles for the first time this month following problems when making a presentation at a teacherÕs conference. Apparently, he has been wearing spectacles for the past two-and-a-half years for reading and other close work, but has kept it quiet from the media. Co-founder of Specsavers, Mary Perkins, said: ÔTony Blair should have come out about this when he first realised he was having problems with his vision. In this day of increased awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations there should be no stigma attached to wearing spectacles.Õ