I wonder if anyone of you armchair pilots have stopped to consider what might have happened if they hadn't declared a PAN bearing in mind the vagaries and inaccuracies of local weather and the flight plans!?
Now, playing devil's advocate! As far as busting minima ONLY in an emergency imagine this. For instance...The weather at all UK airports is below your minima, and is due to stay that way forever(!), you have umpteen hours of fuel onboard. What do you do? Wait until you are in a fuel emergency/low fuel situation or land regardless?
At the point the PAN is declared the aircraft is now in an emergency. The Commander would have been well within his rights to land at MME below minima...wouldn't he?