Diary

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/11/luke-harding-diary-cameron-assets

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• It is the question that dare not speak its name: how much is David Cameron worth? In Tokyo on Tuesday the PM said he was "very relaxed" about the publication of his tax records and said the "time is coming" for politicians to open up their personal finances. But tax records are one thing, private assets another. The BBC's Andrew Marr famously asked Dave in 2009 if it was true he and Mrs C were worth £30m. Marr got the reply: "No, absolutely not." Since then Cameron's wealth has remained a subject of mystery, with estimates ranging from £16m to £3.2m. As one wise source points out, publishing the PM's tax records won't tell us much. Cameron – like other members of the upper-middle class – is asset rich, but income less rich. So has the PM ever revealed how much he has? Downing Street is unhelpful. "Er, I would need to check. His salary is a matter of public record," a spokesperson says. Make me transparent, Lord. But not yet.

• In an interview with Sky News, the PM took a subtle dig at another high-profile tax avoider, Vince Cable. Cable, you will remember, was embarrassed last year for failing to pay VAT on his best-selling book. The revenue whacked Cable with a bill for £500. Asked on Wednesday if he had done anything people might view as avoiding tax, Cameron replied: "No, I don't think I have." He then took out a dagger and jabbed it at the business secretary: "The issue I think for lots of people has been have you paid VAT on things and all the rest of it." So much for Lib-Con fraternity. "At the moment it's needle-needle," one observer says of intra-coalition relations.

• Another day, another jolly press feud. Last month Rupert Murdoch – new Twitter convert that he is – shot off a mocking tweet to Alexander Lebedev. That day a hitman pumped four bullets into German Gorbuntsov, a Russian banker living in Canary Wharf. Murdoch wrote: "Another Russian shot down in London. Wonder what ex KGB boss Lebedev could tell his paper Independent?" On Wednesday Lebedev fired his own scorching reply. He began: "Dear Mr @rupertmurdoch Sorry for the delay – wasn't aware you're familiar with Twitter." And then: "I'll advice [sic] Indy to help Scotland Yard,and assist myself. Without recourse to phone hacking or "tips" to corrupt officers, Mr @rupertmurdoch." Ouch! Miaow! Please gentlemen. This isn't decorous.

• Alarming news from east Kazakhstan. A woman in a village near Ust-Kamenogorsk was baffled when her guard-dog went missing. She reported the pitbull's disappearance to the police, explaining that it was kept on a chain so couldn't have simply run off. When local detectives investigated they discovered the dog's skin in a nearby courtyard. Under interrogation, the woman's unemployed neighbour admitted he had indeed stolen the dog, Kazakhstan Today reported. And eaten it.

• Male politicians are not mere robots but human beings. Sometimes they even cry. On Wednesday Ken Livingstone revealed his emotional side, sniffling at a launch of his new party political broadcast. "The people you saw on the screen represent hundreds of thousands of Londoners who desperately want a mayor who is going to make their life easier in this city," Ken said, as Ed Miliband patted him on the back. For sure, the broadcast is slicker than anything his team has previously produced; it features a boxer, a groundsman, one posh woman and an extremely cute baby. But who exactly are they? The Labour party confessed yesterday that the Londoners are all actors – but actors who support Ken. Of the crying, it said: "It was very genuine. It really was."

• Another gem from the diaries of the Tory peer Michael Spicer. Spicer reveals that, age nine, he fell in love with the "gorgeously attractive" Princess Margaret. But it was another lucky woman who won his heart. In his acknowledgements Spicer thanks his "darling wife Ann … for putting up with my absence from the washing-up sink." Ah yes: the progressive secret at the heart of every partnership.

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