Until Ashcroft is clear about his tax status, the press will make a mountain out of everything he does

I have long thought that the secrecy surrounding Lord Ashcroft’s tax affairs is a strategic liability for the Conservative party. The Conservatives should be able to say if their party vice-chairmen is domiciled in this country for tax purposes. Indeed, openness about this point should be a condition of him holding the position.

The Observer today has a front page story about Ashcroft’s involvement in William Hague’s trip to the US. But even given my concerns about Ashcroft, I fail to see the evidence produced as particularly worrying. We know that Ashcroft has flown members of the shadow Cabinet around before—David Cameron even took a flight back from the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in Paris on an Ashcroft plane. It also doesn’t strike me as particularly shocking that a Tory vice-chairman should attend some meetings on a visit to the US by his party’s foreign affairs spokesman.

Having said that I would be strongly opposed to Ashcroft taking any job in a Tory government until he has clarified his tax status. No one should be sitting in the legislature–let alone serving in the government–unless they are prepared to say that they are resident in this country for tax purposes.