Gazette

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson gets engaged

By Matthew Barrett
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News has reached me that the MP for North Swindon, Justin Tomlinson, announced his engagement in very modern style - on Facebook!

Mr Tomlinson told local news magazine, Link, about the engagement itself:

"I put the question on The Peak which is the highest point in Hong Kong. I was pretty nervous as you'd expect, and I don't like heights. So I was quite dizzy when Jo said yes; it's a good thing she was holding on to me otherwise I might have fallen off the mountain."

Why is Rory Stewart the only new MP to be invited to Chequers? Does the fact that Grant Shapps has been a guest mean he's a hop tip for promotion? Why hasn't Caroline Spelman or Eric Pickles been hosted yet?

By Tim Montgomerie
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10 Downing Street have published the "Government guests" and "senior media guests" that have been entertained at Chequers by David Cameron since he became Prime Minister. Inevitably the fact that Rebekah Brooks was the only person to be entertained twice and that Andy Coulson was a guest in March has got the tongues wagging.

The list reveals plenty of other material for the Kremlinologists looking to understand Cameron's plans.

Rory Stewart MP is, for example, the only member of the Class of 2010 to have been a guest. Does this confirm his status as one destined for great things or was he there to discuss Afghanistan? The fact that another sceptic about the Afghan campaign - Adam Holloway MP - is also on the list (alongside the likes of Lord Ashdown andSir Sherard Cowper-Coles) may point to the latter.

Why were Damian Green and Grant Shapps entertained as two of only a few junior ministers to get the Chequers treatment? Other middle ranking ministers will jealously worry that this means the Immigration and Housing ministers are in pole position for the next Cabinet position. My tips for promotion - Grayling, Clark and Greening - haven't been hosted. Not yet anyway.

No room has yet been found for Mrs and Mrs Pickles or Mr and Mrs Spelman. No Sir George Young. No Dominic Grieve.

Why no Right-wingers like Brady, Redwood or Davis?

There's lots of donors on the list. A couple of same sex couples including Greg Barker and Alan Duncan. Quite a few military types.

For Inside the Beltway types it's fascinating. Apologies to every reader with more important things to worry about.

> Download a PDF of full Chequers guest list.

> There is also this list of meetings with proprietors, editors and senior media executives - including ConservativeHome.

Cannock Chase MP Aidan Burley gets engaged

By Jonathan Isaby
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At about 6pm on Tuesday evening, I bumped into Cannock Chase's Conservative MP, Aidan Burley, armed with a large bunch of flowers and a wrapped present for his girlfriend, Helen, whose birthday they were about to celebrate over dinner.

Little did I know the significance of what was about to occur, as this message I received from Aidan yesterday revealed:

Yesterday evening, as Big Ben chimed 6.45pm, I proposed to Helen on the roof of the Houses of Parliament... and she said yes!

Many congratulations to them both! Below is a picture of the newly-engaged couple taken moments after the proposal.