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…
Last night’s The Cameron Years on BBC1 is well worth a watch. The hour long programme ends with a surprisingly impassioned rallying call from the former Prime Minister for Remainers to stop trying to cancel the result of the referendum…
“But of course in the end, the country voted to leave. You might not like that and I might not like that, and many people watching this programme may think that was the wrong choice. But we are a democracy.
We decided to hold a referendum, we voted in an election for a party that wanted a referendum, we voted nine out of ten MPs for a referendum, we held the referendum. That’s the choice that we made, and that is the future for Britain.
That is something that can be delivered, that should be delivered, and it can be made to work.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Cameron was keen to slay the Remainer myth that he only called the referendum for ‘party management’ reasons. He emphasised that there was a clear problem with the UK’s relationship with the EU that needed to be solved, and that every major party at some point in the last fifteen years promised a referendum on Europe. The hypocrisy of people who voted for a referendum but now try to claim it should never have happened is far worse than any of Cameron’s failings…
Cameron on that shameful Guardian leader…
“There is no privilege in holding your eldest-born child in your arms as their life drains away. Death knows no privilege.”
Last night ITV aired the first extensive interview the former Prime Minister has undergone since leaving office. Cameron was scathing about the Leave campaign, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. He hit out at prorogation and told ITV‘s Tom Bradby that he wanted the 21 expelled anti-Brexit rebels to be let back into the party. His memoir ‘For The Record’ will be released on Thursday. Watch the interview in full here…
In leaked un-redacted court documents obtained by Sky, Boris made clear his opinion on former PM and ex-Eton chum, David Cameron:
“The whole September session is a rigmarole introduced by girly swot Cameron and show the public that MPs are earning their crust.“
The latest mendacious line to come from the hard Remain camp is that “nobody was told that voting Leave could lead to no deal”, with Philip Hammond going into overdrive this morning and claiming it is a “total travesty of the truth”. The problem is, as usual, it’s the Remainer line that is a “total travesty of the truth”.
Change Britain have looked at what Remainer politicians actually said and, surprise surprise, everyone from David Cameron and George Osborne to Dominic Grieve and Hilary Benn repeatedly warned voters that voting Leave would lead to Britain leaving the EU after two years, deal or no deal. Along with a certain Rt Hon. Philip Hammond M.P. at the Despatch Box in the House of Commons…
There’s some more bad news for Jeremy Corbyn to digest as he chews through his porridge this morning, the British public has chosen his arch-nemesis Margaret Thatcher as the UK’s greatest Prime Minister on the 40th anniversary of her taking power.
Thatcher took 21% in the poll of post-war Prime Ministers, beating Churchill on 19% and miles ahead of the rest of the competition. There were just enough diehard Blairites left to get Tony Blair into third place with 6% of the vote. Will the ChUKas even manage to match this in the EU elections?
The country doesn’t agree with the plethora of (Remoaner) historians who’ve been queuing up to brand Cameron the worst Prime Minister in history, 2% still carry the torch for DC. There’s no such consolation for Theresa May bringing up the rear on nul points…
Whilst the United Kingdom descends into chaos, David Cameron has this important message from Nice ☀️ pic.twitter.com/EhDC983Qkt
— JOE Politics (@PoliticsJOE_UK) February 21, 2019
JOE.co.uk have produced a pretty spot on mashup of David Cameron’s chillaxing time since the referendum, and George Ezra’s hit song Shotgun. Worth a watch…
The defection of the three Tory MPs to The Independents Group today has seen an outpouring of comments ranging from sadness to… sadness from their former Tory colleagues. Theresa May is “saddened”, David Cameron is “sad”, Claire Perry is “extremely sad”. All get thanks for their “dedicated service”, with the door being left open for them to return if they change their mind…
So presumably it was the same outpouring of thanks, hugs and condolences all round when Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless left for UKIP in 2014? Don’t be silly…
David Cameron branded Reckless’s decision “senseless and counter-productive” and accused Carswell of helping Labour. Carswell was accused of “betrayal”, “petulance” and “political vanity” by Tory MPs while Reckless was even sued by his former local party. All topped off with Claire “Brexit Jihadis” Perry’s ever classy “Don’t let the door hit your fat arse as you leave”…
Former Prime Minister David Cameron has emerged from hibernation in his shed put out a statement responding to the three Tory defections today, saying he respects their decision but disagrees with them. Pointedly he notes how the Conservative Party “has long been able to contain different views on Europe”.[…] Read the rest
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"I fully support what she's doing and want to let her get on with the job."
Former prime minister @David_Cameron tells @SkyNews he's backing Theresa May as he visits Westminster to work on his book pic.twitter.com/6xrlm32TJs
— Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) November 7, 2018
The former PM says that he “fully supports” what Theresa May is doing.[…] Read the rest
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Boris Johnson tops out YouGov’s list of politicians by popularity, with a positive rating of 32%, when you look at the net approval ratings Boris is 3 points ahead of Theresa. The other Tory frontrunners to replace May, David Davis and Sajid Javid come in at 18th and 33rd respectively.[…] Read the rest
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Sky reports David Cameron and Boris Johnson met last night, where they agreed Theresa May’s Brexit plan was:
“the worst of both worlds”[…] Read the rest
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Confirmation from ex-White House staffer Ben Rhodes on the Today programme this morning that David Cameron and his aides asked Obama to say Brexit would put the UK “at the back of the queue” for a trade deal with the US.[…] Read the rest
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Oi, Dyer, get yer facts right, mate. David Cameron ain’t “in Nice with his trotters up”. He was in a bar in NYC last night watching the England match.
He was spotted by fellow England fans who started chanting “Davey, Davey, give us a wave!”
UPDATE: Reminder that Danny voted to Leave.[…] Read the rest
