back to article Prime Minister David Cameron in Twitter gaffe

Prime Minister David Cameron has committed yet another Twitter gaffe after following a high-class escort agency on the social network. Using his official account, @Number10gov, the Prime Minister keeps up to date with the goings-on at Carltons of London, which bills itself as a “high class escort agency”. Its gallery shows a …

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  1. knarf

    He may be human after all.

    Maybe he is trying to get in touch with his back benches, but I think that is other site.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: He may be human after all.

      Not being into UK politics I've always wondered what the whip was. Now I know :p

      1. GrumpyOldMan

        Re: He may be human after all.

        You don't have to be a non-UK resident to wonder that! 80)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Finally! Some transparency and honesty in politics! Must have been an accident...

  3. Frankee Llonnygog

    I know he used to be

    Director of Corporate Affairs for Carlton TV.

    I didn't know he was also so interested in corporal affairs. If there's any related TV footage, please, never, ever show it to me.

  4. Rabbit80

    Pr0n filter anyone?

    Shouldn't his beloved censorship have filtered out this kind of filth - ya'know, so his kids can't see it?

  5. Cliff

    Silly sausage

    Social media is for children, they know how to use it.

    Statesmen should steer clear.

  6. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Fair play to him...

    Even the PM needs to scratch that itch sometime.

  7. Bumpy Cat

    It's not news, it's the latest Twitter scandal

    FFS, is this really news? "Someone followed the wrong account on Twitter! Next, our reporter on scene."

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: It's not news, it's the latest Twitter scandal

      What, do you want another moan about the EURO instead?

    2. hplasm
      Happy

      Re: It's not news, it's the latest Twitter scandal

      "...wrong account..."

      It's called Plausible Deniability - hence the similarity of the names...

  8. frank ly

    re. @Number10gov

    Will this account be handed over to David Cameron's replacement, when the time comes? If so, can it be wiped/reset so the new Prime Minister doesn't have to go through it removing things he disagrees with?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: re. @Number10gov

      ...after writing the number of the escort agency down on a napkin, of course...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: re. @Number10gov

      Following the letter of cabinet office guidelines, yes it should be handed over to the next incumbent, as it's run by non-political civil servants out of number 10's communications office (which is why it shouldn't ever tweet about political affairs - it should go quiet during election cycles, for example).

      The same goes for the mayor of london's account. Boris, being a bit of a silly old sod, decided that the best way to sidestep this issue during his re-election campaign was to simply take the mayoroflondon account, promoted on the GLA site and run from public funds the same way as the number 10 account, and rename it "@borisjohnson", taking all of its 250,000 followers (gained with public funds, if you're still following) with him to promote his political activities in re-election, on the basis that if it didnt have an official name, it ceased to be an official account.

      It was swiftly changed back once the lawyers loomed on the horizon.

      Whether or not it will actually be handed over is another matter. It probably will because the cabinet office, despite the current government's best efforts, is still pretty strong on the matter of the civil service's political neutrality. It becomes a lot more muddy in the realm of corporate communications. There's dozens of journalists who switch to rivals and just replace one employer with another - Laura Kuenssberg is a good example.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: re. @Number10gov

        >>as it's run by non-political civil servants out of number 10's communications office

        Lolity lol lol lol.....as it's run [by assorted Sophias, Annabelles and anyone who can throw toys out a of pram far enough who then demand their hipster Eton messes are enacted] by non-political civil servants out of number 10's communications office. Fixed it for ya. Anon obviously, otherwise mine's the Oxfordshire field with the packet of Gillettes in it.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: re. @Number10gov

      No, Davis will only hand over @Number2gov. It's far more representative of his legacy anyway.

    4. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      Re: re. @Number10gov

      According to these stories,

      http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/20/cameron-folllows-escort-agency-on-twitter_n_4310648.html

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511016/Harriet-Harmans-MP-husband-Jack-Dromey-adds-gay-porn-Tweet-favourites.html

      (ahem!)

      the, er, meat of the story is that until 2009 - at which time Gordon Brown was Prime Minister, so settling that point as well - "@Number10gov automatically followed anyone who followed the account", and, for that reason, until now was still following 370,000 accounts.

      I think it was in Metro and a bit early in the morning for correct interpretation of the news that I thought I saw a garbled version of this story which just implied that Gordon Brown subscribed to the friendly ladies.

      I think someone else said that the friendly ladies don't do any tweeting and so presumably they just have an account in order to keep track of potential clients, which makes subscribing to No 10 a bit cheeky, if that's what happeneed.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Might've been Georgie getting a quick shot on the PM's keyboard. More his sort of thing allegedly.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Either Georgie or

      corporal Clegg

      1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

        couldn't resist

        Corporal Clegg had a medal too

        In orange, red, and blue

        He found it in the zoo.

        (if the words were 'In yellow, red and blue' then it would have been strangely prophetic)

        Lyrics from a Syd era Floyd song.

  10. Arachnoid
    Gimp

    I see nothing wrong here

    These poor girls are in a need of a mature man to give them some strict guidance.What could be wrong with that?

    1. Dan Paul

      Re: I see nothing wrong here

      Absolutely nothing there that a good tongue lashing wouldn't cure.

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Alert

      Re: Arachnoid Re: I see nothing wrong here

      Actually, the most amusing bit is El Reg's insistence that the site is for "hookers", a potentially libelous accusation given that the site has a minute disclaimer stating they are only selling the ladies' services as "escorts" for companionship, genteel conversation, etc., and not at all as a sex for cash. Yeah, I know, we all "know" what they're selling, but I'm not sure I'd want to making that assumption online.....

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thanks for the link

    I went to their site. To quote Top Gears Richard Hammond, with a beard like that, you know your in good hands.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Thanks for the link

      Frankly, I don't know what you mean, I can't see any "beards" anywhere on that sight.

      I prefer my women cleanshaven myself and from the look of that gallery, there wasn't a hair out of place.

      For that kind of wonga, I would hope I would get more than "good hands".....

    2. Pan_Handle

      Re: Thanks for the link

      With punctuation like that, your [sic] in good hands

  12. Jugernautilus
    Angel

    In France

    This would see him leap ahead in the polls.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: In France

      And it Italy it would render him almost undefeatable. (There's still a huge section of the Italian male electorate who consider a philandering, insensitive, borderline paedo an admirable leader).

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You won't BELIEVE what Cam's gone and done this time !

    Cameron ? Nah ! Berlusconi on the otherhand........... bunga bunga !

  14. Mtech25

    I think i May need help

    The first thought that went throught my head when i heard they charge 800 quid for some "session" was you could buy a top of the range graphics card for that or two 512GB solid state drives.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I think i May need help

      You sir, are indeed in DIRE need of "some help" as you put it.

      1. Mtech25
        Devil

        Re: I think i May need help

        Well if anyone is willing to stump up the cash then i promise not to spend it on high end computer equipment.

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon
          Coat

          Re: I think i May need help

          Your graphics card will render this agency pointless.

  15. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Cheap at twice the price

    > prices of up to £800 an hour, which would seem expensive

    Isn't that why MPs have expenses?

    .... and I seem to recall Cameron himself being involved in a "cash for access" scheme a couple of years ago, He was charging a dam' sight more for his time then. Makes you wonder: who's really getting screwed?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cheap at twice the price

      You do know that they likely have several; rather innocuous sounding billing names for credit card purposes. And they are obviously only tawdry, not cheap.

    2. Pan_Handle

      Re: Cheap at twice the price

      Dam' what?

    3. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Re: Cheap at twice the price

      > prices of up to £800 an hour, which would seem expensive

      Isn't that why MPs have expenses?

      Yes. At the established value of £1645 (thank you, parliamentary enquiry), this comes in as a shade under half a duck house.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Cheap at twice the price

        OH... DUCK house.... sorry, must have misheard you

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You'd think with 500 quid an hour rates they could afford an SSL cert to protect credit card numbers.

    http://www.carltonsoflondon.com/bookings.htm

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Robin Bradshaw

      With £500 an hour rates youd think they could configure there webserver properly so it doesnt have a fit and serve you an "Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Error error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request." instead of a 404

  17. Vociferous

    Yea...

    > It was likely that whoever runs Cameron's Twitter account was probably looking to follow the Carlton Club

    Right. I'm sure that was it.

    (To be honest I don't think Cameron would ever follow escorts. I don't think he's human enough to lose his head over women, for hire or otherwise.)

  18. Haviland

    I suspect the response from No. 10 is correct - they were my first follower about 10 minutes after I joined Twitter.

    Of course, that was before GCHQ followed everybody without letting them know,

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Gallery

    I see that the Carlton site has a link to something called the "Members Gallery" The mind boggles.

    (no, I didn't look at it, I prefer not to have to wash my eyes out with soapy water).

    1. jonfr

      Re: Gallery

      If you need to wash your eyes with soap after watching some women I got some bad news for you.

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Gallery

        If it were a "Members' Gallery" then he would have been watching women. As it is, "Members Gallery" is something altogether different. Pass the soap.

  20. GilbertFilbert

    A closer inspection of expenses is now warranted

    Title says it all.

  21. This post has been deleted by its author

  22. Hooch181

    Lmao!

    Wonder if he'll be sitting down to have a discussion with the Mrs about this?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  23. Chozo

    There's smut on twitter?

    well blow me

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Veni, vidi, twiti

    Rumours of him coming are just that.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How much????

    Just how beautiful a woman, how extreme a kink, can you get for ₤800 that you couldn't just as easily get for ₤100?

    Sitting here at the wrong end of a 16-to-1 currency exchange ratio, "eye-watering" doesn't begin to cover it.

    Wait, I think I just answered my own question. The thought of throwing away that amount of money must be part of the "thrill", especially as it sets you so far apart from the plebs.

    1. Winkypop Silver badge
      Gimp

      Re: How much????

      And that ₤800 is probably to have a woman dress as Matron from their public school days, have her tell them just how jolly naughty he has been, and just what will happen when Nursie finds out....

      No actual sex required with these types.

    2. druck Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: How much????

      AC wrote:

      Just how beautiful a woman, how extreme a kink, can you get for ₤800 that you couldn't just as easily get for ₤100?

      Not much as ₤100 is only £0.04, even ₤800 is only £0.35

      (At 1999 exchange rates before the Italian Lire was replaced by the €)

    3. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      Purely hypothetically,

      As a thought experiment - would you go out with me for £100?

      Not sure?

      I'm assuming that you're not a woman, but the calculation that you make should be the same, regardless.

      By the way, I've been meaning to comment for a while on the practice of describing one or another demeaning task being performed by "an out of work actor". If the demeaning task is the sort of thing that Julian and Sandy used to get up to on [Round the Horne] - they ran a different fly-by-night business every week, such as law - "We have a criminal practice that takes up most of our time" - then yes, but if the demeaning task is in fact acting, then that isn't an out of work actor, because this is them working.

  26. Crisp

    MPs having heterosexual relations?

    There's your scandal right there!

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing wrong with it

    Private individuals conducting private business providing a service to the public. Kinda like porn sites eh cameron?

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IF you think the prices are high then think again. The prices quoted (on any escort agency website) are "JUST" for the legal, escorting bit. Anyhting else is additional and negotated after paying that but before meeting the woman. Normally via email.

    Anon because I know this as we've designed a fair few websites for escort agencies. We randomly got one then 5 or 6 more followed. The design guys loved the days when all the pictures were handed over. In one case the owner was very open about the other side of things.

    Suffice to say you'd probably want the same amount of cash again if you wanted any antics other than hanging on your arm and looking amazing at whatever event, function or party you wanted company for.

  29. goldcd

    I think it just auto-follows

    He's following me, and 365k other people..

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I guess this begs some questions of the author:

    Why was Jasper Hamill looking at Twitter profiles for escort agencies?

    Why does Jasper Hamill follow Pornhub?

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      In fairness to Jasper I have to cough to pointing him to the Pornhub story, which I encountered while pulling the strings behind @TheRegister - which, by the way, is the best thing going on Twitter and you should all follow it.

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