It's no secret that London is expensive. Whether it be rent, transport or living expenses, things just aren't as cheap as other places in the UK. But the extent of that price gap surprised BBC journalist Nina Warhurst when she sat down in a pub and had to fork out £12.60 ($for what appeared to be two pints of beer and a packet of crisps.
The Twitter post attracted similar shock from others, but Shadow Transport Minister John Woodcock tried to be cheeky when commenting, saying: "To be fair I've paid that much in Barrow, but it does come with a hand job."
After posting the joke, it appears the MP was contacted by fellow Labour politician Sarah Champion, and told that the quip wasn't funny. As a result, Mr Woodcock has issued an apology on his Twitter account.
It reads: "Sarah Champion has been in touch and asked me to delete my response to Nina Warhurst last night about the price of beer. I respect Sarah's views and have immediately done so.
"I had intended my tweet to be a throwaway and not very original joke about the steep prices in London bars, the equivalent of 'It costs how much?! For that price I'd want it to make me a three-course dinner etc'.
"I should just have kept my lame sense of humour to myself anyway, but on reflection I definitely shouldn't have made a casual reference to a sexual service which could have implied I was flippant about the damage done by the sex trade in the UK.
"I am sorry. I definitely did not mean to disrespect anyone."
But many have actually been supportive of him making the joke in the first place, and didn't think it warranted a public apology.
The apology has probably drawn more attention to the joke compared to the original tweet. However at least he's apologised and everyone can get on with their lives.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: cost of living, London
