In March 2007 I was covering business rather than politics. One balmy evening that month I boarded a huge luxury yacht in Cannes as the guest of a real estate billionaire (well, he was at the time).

Most of the guests were Arab investors, middle-aged British businessmen or good-time girls in their early 20s.

One, however, was a distinguished Labour MP (not Mandelson) who was conspicuously getting into the swing of things. At the time I wondered what constituency business had brought him there.

I won’t name him out of respect to my host and his generosity.

So why bother mentioning it? Well, the memory came to mind as I read Alice Miles’ column in today’s Times suggesting that Labour MPs “feel uncomfortable” mingling with the super-rich.

“Mandelson is an aberration within Labour, as was Tony Blair. Labour people do not, on the whole, hobnob with the very rich,” she wrote.

Just thought I’d mention it.

October 22, 2008 5:18pm in Conservatives, Labour | Comment