Of 35 pages of documents released today, the most striking ones appear to be two letters sent on July 12, 2000.

(Bear in mind that Lord Ashcroft recently revealed he was a “long-term resident” in the UK – as opposed to “permanent” – which means he doesn’t have to pay UK tax on his overseas income. )

Letter One: Sir Hayden Phillips wrote to James Arbuthnot, Tory chief whip, saying: “Mr Ashcroft has said that he will live in the UK indefinitely and will, therefore, be a long-term resident here.”

Letter Two: In Arbuthnot’s reply he refers to: “Michael Ashcroft’s undertaking to take up permanent residence in the UK.” Read more