David Cameron's former aide charged £1,500 for conference ticket after publishing attack-book on Theresa May

Sir Craig Oliver's book said Ms May was unsupportive during the EU referendum  

Joe Watts
Political Editor
Wednesday 28 September 2016 13:30 BST
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Ex-Cameron aide Sir Craig Oliver
Ex-Cameron aide Sir Craig Oliver (Getty Images)

DAVID Cameron’s ex-communications chief who just wrote a book critical of Theresa May, is being charged £1,500 for entry to Tory conference this year.

Party sources confirmed Sir Craig Oliver, whose book claimed Ms May repeatedly refused to back Mr Cameron’s EU referendum campaign, would be charged full price for entry.

If he were still in post he would have gone for free as part of the leader’s entourage, while other staffers and journalists are given free entry if they apply in advance.

A source said: “The BBC said they wanted to interview him and bring him in at the last minute, but most people have applied for their passes in February.

“He will have to pay the commercial rate.”

When others were applying for free passes at the start of the year, Sir Craig would still have been working in Downing Street unaware of the pending referendum defeat that would lead to the downfall of Mr Cameron.

After he left office he was handed a Knighthood in Mr Cameron’s controversial resignation Honours List.

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In his book, Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, he claimed Ms May consistently refused to back Mr Cameron’s campaign to keep Britain in the EU, leading to major tension between the pair.

Ms May was accused of adopting a “sphinx-like” approach to the campaign that Sir Craig noted served her well in the post-referendum chaos.

He wrote: “Amid the murder and betrayal of the campaign, one figure stayed very still at the centre of it all – Theresa May. Now she is the last one standing.”

He did not respond to a request for comment today.

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