It’s dangerous, in my line of work, to promise you’ll be anywhere by 8 p.m. I made this mistake recently, saying I’d turn up to a dinner after a Budget discussion — a ‘quad’ meeting, where I sit with the Prime Minister, George Osborne and Nick Clegg. We’ve been doing this for five years, so have come to know each other pretty well. Not that we all agree; on the night in question, Nick was angry about something (I won’t say what) and our meeting ran on. I headed back with him to Dover House, a magnificent building where I was based during my tenure as Scottish Secretary. A great job: I enjoyed each of the 17 days I spent in it.
The dinner, organised by the Lib Dems, was fun. Some guests made kind remarks about my role in repairing the economy. One seemed particularly quiet, so I tried to include him in the conversation, and at the end thanked him for supporting one of our candidates. I remember wondering how on earth he coped when he seemed to know so little about the business he said he ran. He asked for a photo with me, then I headed home to more phone calls and a red box.
Later, I found out he was an undercover reporter for the Daily Telegraph. I had been caught red-handed thanking supporters for their help. A guest was quoted warning the reporter that I’m not keen on making any more cuts to the 45p tax rate. So I stand exposed — saying the same things about my role in government in private that I do in public. I must have disappointed those who expect something else from politicians.
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