Why the redecoration of Number 10 does matter to us all

If a Tory donor gave money to redecorate Number 10, this will have been a purchase of favour and influence – not a mere donation. We should all be interested in what value suspected donors might have gotten for their money.

Cartoon by Crid.

As much as assorted Government outriders might wish to persuade us otherwise, the redecoration of the flat above 10 Downing Street is of great interest to us all.

Firstly, the fact that the Prime Minister and his fiancé view John Lewis as unconscionably naff shows just how different our lives are to that of those in the political class. The more this sinks into the public consciousness, the better.

Yet worse than this is that these people seem to view elected office as much as a sinecure as a public service role. Labour MPs, judging by their expenses claims, have no less a sense of entitlement.

Secondly, who donates money to pimp the Prime Minister's apartment (as a Tory donor is alleged to have done)? How broken must one's moral compass be to think that this is a better destination for 50 grand than, say, the Royal British Legion, or the British Heart Foundation?

The answer, of course, is that nobody would view this as a 'donation'. It is buying favour and influence, and we should all be interested in what value suspected donors might have gotten for their money.