David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary and the father of two small boys, sent out an unusual message on Twitter, the social networking service, this week, amid comments on the situation in Zimbabwe, and thoughts on the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

“No alarms with our maclaren today,” Mr Miliband announced – a reference to the British baby stroller brand at the centre of a row over mishandled safety warnings concerning the threat of finger injuries and potential amputations from folding hinges.