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Cameron criticised over book payment

15.09.08

David Cameron has been criticised for accepting almost £20,000 for giving interviews as part of a book about him, reports the Times.

The Tory leader received the money, which he is donating to charity, for taking part in Cameron on Cameron by GQ editor Dylan Jones, published by HarperCollins' Fourth Estate. Biographers and opposition politicians expressed surprise that he received money for the book, which has received lukewarm reviews and been criticised for failing to ask hard-hitting questions.

HarperCollins could also face criticism for suggesting that the book is an evenhanded assessment of the Tory leader, adds the newspaper. The synopsis on its website says that the book “set out to answer these questions in a series of wide-ranging and candid interviews that will define David Cameron ahead of the next election – and for years to come”.

Tory sources emphasised that the book was never billed as a biography and point out that the arrangement is common in this type of work. HarperCollins, which prints the book under its Fourth Estate label, lists Cameron as a co-author on its website.

Times

HarperCollins Books Fourth Estate David Cameron

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