大象传媒

No 10 reveals Cameron gift list

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An iPad
Image caption,

Ipads proved to be a popular house-warming gift at Number 10

An iPad from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a bottle of whisky from a member of Status Quo were among the gifts received by David Cameron when he entered No 10.

The details have been released by Downing Street, as part of the government's "transparency" agenda.

They also show that News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch was the first senior figure to visit Mr Cameron after he became prime minister.

No 10 will keep most of the gifts.

If the prime minister wants to take home items costing more than 拢140 he must pay for them himself.

Anyone for tennis?

He opted to pay out of his own pocket for a 拢429 iPad given by British-born US headphones tycoon Mike Faith and 拢164 of books. The iPad he received from Mr Bloomberg remains unopened.

A limited-edition bottle of whisky given by Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi - who is chairman of the Glen Rossie distillery - is being used "for official entertainment", the list showed.

But most of the house-warming gifts, which included tennis rackets from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, ties from Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, a hamper from designer Kelly Hoppen, and a rug from the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, remain unopened.

Home Secretary Theresa May received an iPad from her Italian counterpart.

Mr Cameron's deputy, Nick Clegg, and foreign secretary William Hague registered no gifts.

Mr Murdoch, whose Sun newspaper switched its backing from Labour to the Conservatives in the run-up to May's general election, was invited in for a "general meeting".

The PM's head-to-head with the chairman of News Corporation was the only formal meeting held at Mr Cameron's office in May, apart from those held with foreign politician leaders.

Mr Cameron met the 大象传媒 six times during the three-month period covered by the data. The Daily Mail, Guardian and Mail on Sunday visited Downing Street five times each, while Channel 4 had one visit.

Famous faces invited in to Number 10 during Mr Cameron's first months in the job included poverty campaigner Bob Geldof, steel magnate Ratan Tata and Telegraph Media Group chairman Aidan Barclay.

Web giants Facebook and Wikipedia, oil firms Shell and BP, pharmaceutical company Pfizer were all visitors as were the TUC, the World Bank and footballing organisation Fifa.

The released information also put the cost to the taxpayer of Mr Cameron's first six official foreign visits - not including officials - at more than 拢500,000.

Mr Cameron has occasionally travelled on scheduled flights in an effort to show he is cutting costs.

The most expensive trips were those to the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada (拢303,006) and a trade visit to Turkey and India (拢173,310) where chartered aircraft were used.

According to the list, Mr Cameron did not give any gifts to foreign leaders worth more than the 拢140 limit - despite including a 拢2,500 Ben Eine painting to US President Barack Obama.

Downing Street said the artist had gifted the work and so there was no cost to the taxpayer.