Arise, Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton

It turns out that theme of this week’s Rishuffle really was ‘Back to the Future’. For David Cameron, now returned from political exile, has opted for his title a place that recalls old scandals past. The former Tory leader will be introduced on Monday in the House of Lords as ‘Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton’, according to the Writ of Summons, which was published earlier today.

Back in the early 2010s, Cameron’s close links to well-heeled members of the ‘Chipping Norton set’ like Elisabeth Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks came under scrutiny as part of the Leveson Inquiry. One commentator described members of the set as ‘an incestuous collection of louche, affluent, power-hungry and amoral Londoners’ while another proclaimed that “Chipping Norton remains a state of mind. It’s where the stars of Westminster and White City can be machos of the manor, shooting, riding and drinking.’ The-then Mayor of Chipping Norton even declared ‘We would prefer to be put on the map for more positive things.