All admitted that they were among the smallest members of the 1,400-strong workforce, and had been selected to replace the usual staff in the unit where Mr Sarkozy made his speech about the car industry.

Mr Sarkozy, who is notoriously sensitive about his height, did not want a repeat of the fiasco in June when he was caught using a footstool when delivering a speech alongside Gordon Brown and Barack Obama during the D-Day commemorations.