David Cameron’s Private Office accounts show he’s made over £1.6 million since leaving Downing Street. He could buy some 64 shepherd huts with that…
The accounts for the year ending April 2019 published on Companies’ House show Cameron’s company has total assets, including profit, total £873,821 – with half-a-million in cash in the bank. The figures don’t include money earned through Cameron’s autobiography, because he promised to donate all the profits to charity. Champagne on Dave tonight then…
The Saudi Press Agency is reporting that King Salman bin Abdulaziz received David Cameron in Riyadh this morning. Happy Halloween!
It was thought that Cameron having to reduce the price of his book at Tory conference would be the low point of the former PM’s literary career. However, Guido now hears that the aversion to forking out for his book extends well beyond Tory Party members – to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson: his former PPS…
In a recent meeting with the PM, Cameron asked Williamson if he’d purchased his book, to which Gavin had to sheepishly admit he hadn’t yet (and as a Yorkshireman was holding out for a larger discount). Cameron promptly responded by throwing a copy of the book at him. Guido imagines Theresa will feel a twinge of jealousy over Cameron’s ability to lob something heavy at the former Defense secretary…
David Cameron’s recent memoirs and media round has given him the opportunity to try and define his own legacy from the ashes of his forced departure in 2016; one of the most prominent examples he has been offering has been the National Citizenship Service, which he set up in 2011 as a taxpayer funded gap year provider for 15-17 year olds. Picture the IDF training programme but ziplining instead of national security…
However, it looks like the NCS itself may be on its last legs – mired in controversy, investigations, a swathe of examples of misspent public funds and providers pulling out. Cameron’s search for a successful legacy will have to re-open…
Cameron’s crony, Michael Lynas, had been leading the project since its inception – who insiders have said was never up to the job in the first place having no experience in leading such a project (taking up the reins after briefly working for Cameron in No. 10). Lynas officially announced his resignation in September without giving a reason. Seems suspicious, however Guido reckons he knows why…
Guido understands the NCS is currently subject to a handful of investigations, not least by DCMS – an investigation apparently being headed up David Knott at the direction of Nicky Morgan – looking into the trust’s leadership, in addition to that of the National Citizen Service Trust (which has previously been subject to NAO and PAC reports criticising financial control, governance and transparency). Did Lynas jump before he was pushed?…
Despite receiving around £180 million in public funds, Lynas has also previously refused to disclose his salary. However, his record on spending taxpayers money doesn’t give Guido reassurance, having previously moved the NCST offices from a £100,000-a-year shared space to a new swanky £1.1 million pad in Kensington; and spaffing around £10 million up the wall on a ‘brand refresh’ for the Trust.
Taking all this into account alongside the NCS’s largest provider pulling out a month ago, and it looks like Cameron’s project is on its last legs. Once the NCS goes the “Big Society” will be just a well-meaning idea that didn’t catch on…
UPDATE: A letter seen by Guido from the Chairman of The Challenge (recently the largest provider of the NCS programme until pulling out a month ago) to Nicky Morgan, in which he savages the behaviour of Lynas and others, that “gives the appearance of an organisation wilfully concealing its own failures by using The Challenge as a scapegoat”.
Bill Ronald also accuses the NCST of “[exposing] young people to potentially life-threatening safety risks through a flawed medical assessment process”. Just last month, David Cameron – who remains the Chair of NCS Patrons – said Lynas could “be proud” of the work he’d done at the NCS…
The signs were never good for David Cameron’s autobiography, following reports of slow pre-orders and a backlash over publishing the memoirs at such a fractious political moment. A sign – if one was needed – of how much he is struggling to flog the book can be seen at the Tory conference bookstall, where the book is currently reduced by 20%. For comparison, Thatcher’s books are selling very well at full price…
Perhaps spurred on by this, May announced at the Henley Literary Festival today that she doesn’t have any plans to write an autobiography at the moment.
Writing a memoir is not something Theresa May is rushing to do. Did she keep diaries? “there honestly wasn’t time!” #TheresaMayHLF pic.twitter.com/TMmTEeBMlw
— Henley Literary Fest (@HenleyLitFest) September 30, 2019
This does presume May could actually find a publisher willing to take her on of course…
