‘It’s an upgrade on a shepherd’s hut’: David Cameron makes his Lords debut as Foreign Secretary with joke about swapping THAT £25,000 trailer for the ‘ornate, carved wooden panels’ of the historic House

• Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton took his seat in the upper chamber today 

David Cameron joked that the House of Lords is a ‘significant upgrade’ from his ‘now-infamous’ £25,000 shepherd’s hut as he delivered his maiden speech to peers.

Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton took his seat in the upper chamber a week after his shock return to government, seven years after he quit as prime minister.

And it was straight down to business for the leader of the Remain campaign in the 2016 EU referendum – opening the debate on a post-Brexit trade deal.  

Lord Cameron told fellow peers he planned to ‘play a full part in its work’, adding: ‘When I look at the ornate, carved wooden panels that surround us and compare them to my now-infamous shepherd’s hut, I can tell you this is already a significant upgrade.’

The ex-PM hit the headlines in 2017 when it was revealed he had spent a five-figure sum on a static van made by Paul Bennett of Red Sky Shepherd’s Huts. He bought a second one a year later for his second home in Cornwall.

Prices start from £20,000 and rise to £25,000 before optional extras such as stoves, kitchenettes, bathrooms and French doors are added.

Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton took is seat in the upper chamber a week after his shock return to government, seven years after he quit as prime minister.

The ex-PM hit the headlines in 2017 when it was revealed he had spent a five-figure sum on a static van made by Paul Bennett of Red Sky Shepherd’s Huts. He bought a second one a year later for his second home in Cornwall.

The Foreign Secretary explained that he will answer questions monthly from peers, while Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell will deputise for him in the Commons.

However, Lord Cameron said he is ‘happy to consider other appropriate mechanisms so that Parliament is able to scrutinise all the work of my department’.

He noted that he is not the first peer to sit in the Cabinet – with Lord Mandelson, Lord Adonis and Lord Frost also doing so in recent times.

The former prime minister said: ‘Lord (Peter) Mandelson sent me a particularly charming welcome, but he pointed out that I am a comeback novice and this is only my first one compared with his three.

‘I suppose my response should be that to make three comebacks you need both his prodigious talent and you need to be sacked twice by the prime minister, which is a fate I’m hoping to avoid.’

The Foreign Secretary opened the debate for the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill’s second reading.

This Bill provides measures to ensure the UK will be compliant with international obligations when it accedes to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The CPTPP is a trade bloc made up of 11 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam – that the UK formally agreed to join in July.

The measures in the Bill will make changes to UK law with regard to technical barriers to trade, government procurement and intellectual property.

Lord Cameron said: ‘Wanting to serve under Rishi Sunak, who I believe is a strong and capable Prime Minister is one of the reasons why I accepted his offer of this role.

‘I had two former party leaders in my cabinet alongside many veterans of Tory leadership campaigns.’

He added: ‘And I valued all their advice. And I hope that some of my experience will help the Prime Minister in meeting the vital challenges that we face as a country.

‘That said, it was a surprise to be asked. I have not been sitting like some latter-day de Gaulle at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises waiting to be asked, how shall I put it, to take back control.’

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