Some important developments to report from India.
We’ve discovered that David Cameron is scarily happy to recycle jokes.
At the end of a rather long and worthy address in Bangalore on Wednesday, he tried to lighten the atmosphere with a Casablanca gag about this being “the start of a beautiful friendship”.
You must remember this. (Don’t worry, only one more Casablanca crack to go.) It was exactly the same line he finished his first ever speech in India, almost four years ago.
Just in case India missed the point, my colleagues tell me ‘Play it again, Cam’ went on to roll it out once more on Wednesday.
Bad jokes haven’t stopped him from striking up some beautiful friendships at the Leela Palace in Bangalore, where Cameron graced in the Maharaja suite.
The Times of India reports that staff, including Leo his personal butler, were ”floored by the PM’s simplicity” and courtesy. Cameron is the best VVIP the Leela has ever hosted, a gushing hotel official told the paper:
“We were simply told to keep things simple, because he likes it that way. We did nothing extra to the room. There were no special requests. Being health conscious, there were health foods such as green salads, fruits, fresh juices on the menu.
I have to say Cameron is perhaps the first VVIP at the hotel who is so simple and down to earth.”
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey