Why Don't the Brits Have Their Own Air Force One?

The Prime Minister of Britain has to fly commercial when he goes on vacation:

Tony Blair and his family suffered a holiday scare as their jumbo jet overshot a runway in the United States, it emerged today.

The Prime Minister, wife Cherie and their children were embroiled in the airport drama after flying to Florida to stay with Bee Gee Robin Gibb.

The Blairs' British Airways flight from London ran into trouble on landing at Miami International Airport.

The Boeing 747-400, packed with 343 passengers, slid off the runway as it missed its turn after touching down. It crushed runway lights and engineers had to turn it around so it could taxi safely to the airport gate for passengers to disembark.

There was confusion as police and rescue vehicles rushed towards the plane, lights flashing, while it sat on an isolated part of the runway for 45 minutes. Most of the frightened passengers had no idea the Blairs were on board and the emergency rescue was ordered by the American Secret Service, which looks after the Prime Minister-whenever he is in the US. The Blairs, flying first-class, were the first to be evacuated at the airport terminal.

Can you really be considered an important nation if your top political leader has to fly commercial? And what if there was a major terrorist act back home? Would he have to wait until he got to Miami and then try and get a flight back home? I can just see Tony Blair sitting in the terminal on "stand-by" trying to get back to London.

This occurred the same day that President Bush took Air Force One to Texas for his vacation. I'll be Tony gets a good kidding next time Bush meets him.

The Brits need to invest in their own version of Air Force One. Not only will their Prime Minister be able to travel as he needs to, but he'll have access to any communications he might need as well in the event of a crisis. He won't have to push the flight attendant call button if he needs to nuke somebody.