Oily Duncan: Ratty Shadow Cabineteer NOT Sleazy

Clearly it is NOT sleazy to deny over and over again that one's office has received £160,000 from an oilman when the true amount is £158,000 and the donation came via Tory Central Office. Hair splitting yes, but sleazy no. Clearly it is NOT sleazy to be shadow for oily business and take 16 sets of hospitality and travel for Oman leading up to the moment when your oilman friend (a) does some good business in Oman and (b) gives you a remunerated Director's job in a part-owned subsidiary. And clearly it is NOT sleazy to contrive to keep the donations of £158,000 off one's declaration of members' interests. Even after George Osborne has been done for the same lack of transparency - with a cock and bull cover up story to boot.

The Telegraph should be more careful. When one examines Alan Duncan's manouevres with the President and CEO of one of the World's most implicated Oil Trading Companies - Vitol - one finds he easily earns the title "Oily" Duncan, but not "Sleazy" Duncan. Except in the way that gets the rebuke: "Well, he's a Tory isn't he?"