“I know that some people use smears and I have heard them for years. They say ‘Why are you not married? You must be a playboy or a wildman or gay’, or whatever.” Dr Liam Fox today in the Evening Standard (interviewed yesterday).

Under absolutely no pressure from anyone, least of all Anne McElvoy or Joe Murphy at the Evening Standard, Fox suddenly claims to have been the subject of allegations that he is gay*. Well Guido’s stock in trade is dodgy gossip and I have never heard of any such claim about him. I have heard he chased the ladies – but he was a bachelor – its a legal, healthy pastime for a man. In fact the only dubious claim made about this is the nudge, nudge, wink wink suggestion that he shagged Natalie Imbruglia. She gets very irritated by the suggestion and its Fox who did all the nudge, nudge, wink, winking!

Fox is an innovative campaigner, you have to give him that, he managed to raise a false smear about himself to get himself onto the front page. Maybe he thought since the drugs smear helped Cameron, a Gay smear might help him?

*Apart from that silly story about a drunk student in Paris who slept in his bedroom after they emptied the contents of Foxy’s mini-bar.