At the same book event in Edinburgh, Mr Prescott also revealed he now owned two Jaguar cars, living up to his "two Jags" nickname, according to the London Evening Standard.
It's rather embarrassing for a government committed to cutting the cost of ministerial travel and evokes memories of John Prescott's infamous decision to let the car take the strain on a short journey between his hotel and the 1999 Labour conference in Bournemouth: except the man known as "Two Jags" did travel more than twice as far - 250 metres.