David Mellor Foul Mouthed Rant <br />'Shut up! You stupid, sweaty little git' <br />Listen to Tory bigwig David Mellor's bad word rant at black cab driver. <br />Former Conservative cabinet minister David Mellor has been secretly recorded having a heated row with a London taxi driver, a newspaper has reported. <br /> <br />He was recorded swearing at the driver and arguing about the best route to take, according to The Sun. <br /> <br />Mr Mellor called the man "stupid" and told him to "shut up", the newspaper said. He also recounted some of his lifetime achievements. <br /> <br />Mr Mellor told the paper the driver had "seriously provoked" him. <br /> <br />'Just shut up' <br />Mr Mellor got into the taxi with partner Penelope, Lady Cobham, outside a restaurant in Marylebone High Street, central London, at 17:50 GMT on Friday. <br /> <br />The couple wanted to go five miles to St Katharine Docks, east London, and were charged £29, the paper said. <br /> <br />In the recording Mr Mellor, 65, who served as national heritage secretary in Sir John Major's government, is alleged to say: "You don't know as much about London as I do." <br /> <br />He adds: "You've been driving a cab for 10 years? I have been in the cabinet, I am an award-winning broadcaster, I'm a Queen's Counsel, you think your experiences are anything compared to mine? Just shut up. <br /> <br />"Drive me whichever way you want, and keep a civil tongue in your head." <br /> <br />'Seriously provoked' <br />Mr Mellor also accuses the man of ruining Lady Cobham's day. Earlier on Friday Lady Cobham, who is chairwoman of tourism body Visit England, had attended Buckingham Palace to be appointed a CBE for her services to tourism. <br /> <br />The driver passed the recording to the tabloid newspaper. <br /> <br />Mr Mellor resigned as heritage minister in 1992, blaming his departure on a constant barrage of hostile stories in the tabloid press. <br /> <br />He has developed a career as a radio broadcaster since losing his seat in the Commons in 1997. <br /> <br />Mr Mellor told The Sun: "This man seriously provoked me and ruined a wonderful day. <br /> <br />"Once I had lost my temper, which I regret, he then secretly recorded me. I will leave the public to judge his actions."
