John Major last night painted himself as the architect of Cool Brittania, which rules
the pop-music airwaves, has taken over the fashion catwalks of Paris and upstaged Broadway.

Three years ago he evoked a Britain of warm beer, cycling old maids, county cricket grounds
and morning mist. But last night, in his speech to the Lord Mayor's banquet, he changed his
pitch to a Britain of packed pubs and clubs, streets bustling with tourists and a capital
described by Newsweek as 'the coolest city on the planet'.