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  1. Politics
24 July 2009

Hague still selling speeches

Shadow foreign secretary continues to coin it despite post-expenses pledge

By James Macintyre

Browsing Iain Dale’s blogsite just now (as is the wont of all conscientious political correspondents), I thought I was seeing things when a commercial advert for William Hague’s after dinner speeches popped up. Given that the shadow foreign secretary earned £230,000 last year from the speeches, a reluctance to hang up his bow-tie is understandable. But after the pledge by senior Tories to give up their highly lucrative second jobs in the wake of the expenses scandal, does this fit the new mood? And anyway – yes, I know I’m in a minority of one in asking this – is Hague really worth it?

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