PM removes ‘vanity staff’ from Downing Street payroll

(The Guardian): David Cameron performed the sharpest U-turn of his premiership today, removing his former personal photographer and a filmmaker from the public payroll after intense criticism about the appointment of his so-called "vanity staff" to the civil service. Downing Street acknowledged that the transfer of Andrew Parsons, Cameron’s photographer, and Nicky Woodhouse, the filmmaker behind WebCameron, to the civil service "sent out the wrong message". The prime minister’s official spokesman was later forced to defend the timing of the announcement, 20 minutes before the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton was revealed, after accusations that No 10 had hoped to bury a bad news story.

Go to article