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Ashcroft source defends revelations about Cameron's student days Ashcroft source defends revelations about Cameron's student days
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One of the sources at the centre of Michael Ashcroft’s controversial account of David Cameron’s time at Oxford University has defended his actions after being assailed by critical messages and phone calls from friends and acquaintances of the prime minister.One of the sources at the centre of Michael Ashcroft’s controversial account of David Cameron’s time at Oxford University has defended his actions after being assailed by critical messages and phone calls from friends and acquaintances of the prime minister.
James Delingpole, a journalist and rightwing polemicist, defended “squealing” on Cameron’s drug use – Delingpole told Lord Ashcroft’s co-author, Isabel Oakeshott, that the pair had smoked cannabis and listened to Supertramp – while they were students at Oxford. Writing in the Sunday Times, Delingpole said that he had been heavily criticised for breaking the “wretched omerta that the Cameron set so fetishise for all the world as if they’d been at [code-breaking centre] Bletchley Park”. James Delingpole, a journalist and rightwing polemicist, defended “squealing” on Cameron’s drug use while they were students at Oxford. Delingpole told Lord Ashcroft’s co-author, Isabel Oakeshott, that the pair had smoked cannabis and listened to Supertramp.
The unofficial biography of Cameron, written by the former Conservative party deputy chairman and donor Ashcroft, dominated headlines this week, after a series of claims in the book about the prime minister’s involvement in drug-taking, a bizarre dinner club initiation ritual that reportedly involved putting his penis in the mouth of a dead pig, and that he knew of the peer’s offshore tax status earlier than previously stated. Writing in the Sunday Times, Delingpole said he had been heavily criticised for breaking the “wretched omerta that the Cameron set so fetishise for all the world as if they’d been at [code-breaking centre] Bletchley Park”.
The unofficial biography of Cameron, written by the former Conservative party deputy chairman and donor Ashcroft, dominated headlines this week, after the book claimed that the prime minister had been involved in drug-taking, that he had taken part in a bizarre dinner club initiation ritual that reportedly involved putting his penis in the mouth of a dead pig, and that he knew of the peer’s offshore tax status earlier than previously stated.
Related: Pigs to peerages: Lord Ashcroft’s act of revenge shows British politics at its venal worst | Simon JenkinsRelated: Pigs to peerages: Lord Ashcroft’s act of revenge shows British politics at its venal worst | Simon Jenkins
When Delingpole had previously considered writing about his time at the university with Cameron, mutual friends had “gently” suggested there “might [...] be consequences that I would come to regret”, he wrote. When Delingpole had previously considered writing about his time at the university with Cameron, mutual friends had “gently” suggested there might “be consequences that I would come to regret”, he wrote.
But since the claims were published in the Daily Mail, he had been treated like a traitor, Delingpole said. Delingpole said he had been treated like a traitor since the claims were published in the Daily Mail.
“One of them sent me an email casually referring to me as Judas. Another tweeted a quote from me – ‘No hard feelings, Dave, I hope’ – with the comment: ‘I don’t think that’s going to cut any ice, somehow’,” he wrote. “Yet another subjected me to a weird passive-aggressive telephone interrogation, full of sympathetic sighs as if in sorrow that I had permanently blighted my career.”“One of them sent me an email casually referring to me as Judas. Another tweeted a quote from me – ‘No hard feelings, Dave, I hope’ – with the comment: ‘I don’t think that’s going to cut any ice, somehow’,” he wrote. “Yet another subjected me to a weird passive-aggressive telephone interrogation, full of sympathetic sighs as if in sorrow that I had permanently blighted my career.”
Delingpole brushed off his critics, stating: “Each one of those paragons stands to gain from their associations with the Cameron project, in at least one case, possibly, with a peerage.” Mocking their “touching displays of loyalty to their sponsor”, he added: “I’m not sure they’re really in a position to deliver moral lectures.”Delingpole brushed off his critics, stating: “Each one of those paragons stands to gain from their associations with the Cameron project, in at least one case, possibly, with a peerage.” Mocking their “touching displays of loyalty to their sponsor”, he added: “I’m not sure they’re really in a position to deliver moral lectures.”
The writer – who is also executive editor of Breitbart, a rightwing online news publication – said he had been asked repeatedly why he had told stories about Cameron’s university days. “The short answer is very simple,” he said. “By outing the PM as a closet stoner I was doing the equivalent, if you like, of what Kenneth Tynan did when he was the first man on television to say “f***.” The writer – who is also executive editor of Breitbart, a rightwing news website – said he had been asked repeatedly why he had told stories about Cameron’s university days. “The short answer is very simple,” he said. “By outing the PM as a closet stoner I was doing the equivalent, if you like, of what Kenneth Tynan did when he was the first man on television to say ‘f***’.”
Delingpole added that as a journalist it was his “job is to tell stories, not to squish them”.Delingpole added that as a journalist it was his “job is to tell stories, not to squish them”.
He defended the work of Oakenshott – who has been criticised for co-writing the book – saying that Ashcroft’s biography was “much fairer and better written than the sensationalised tabloid extracts”. Claims that it was Ashcroft’s revenge were “ largely media spin”, he added. He defended the work of Oakeshott – who has been criticised for co-writing the book – saying that Ashcroft’s biography was “much fairer and better written than the sensationalised tabloid extracts”. Claims that it was Ashcroft’s revenge were “largely media spin”, he added.
Downing Street has not commented on the claims made in Ashcroft’s biography.Downing Street has not commented on the claims made in Ashcroft’s biography.