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David Cameron ridiculed as hair stylist 'honoured' with MBE
Prime minister accused of cronyism after his £90-a-cut barber appears in New Year's Honours list
DAVID CAMERON faces fresh accusations of cronyism after his £90-a-cut hairdresser was appointed MBE in the New Year's Honours list.
Lino Carbosiero, who was singled out for "services to hairdressing", reportedly began working as the Tory leader's barber on the orders of Samantha Cameron.
Carbosiero is credited with shifting Cameron's parting from right to left in 2007. The change in style prompted speculation that he was trying to look more "butch", while others suggested it reflected the political direction in which he was moving his party.
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Cameron's haircuts have since become a popular topic of conversation in Westminster as he increasingly uses a comb-over to hide his bald spot.
Downing Street officials insist that Carbosiero was not nominated by the PM, but this has not quelled the jokes and criticism.
"The bald truth is this – it must be a cover up. It may not be hair-raising but it certainly raises questions about cronyism," Labour MP Steve Pound tells the Daily Mirror. "It's a tight little circle gathering round the barber's chair. We should make sure there's no cover up – let alone a comb-over."
Backbench Labour MP Phil Wilson says Carbosiero – who has worked for numerous celebrities including Kylie Minogue and Sir Paul McCartney – deserves a gong for styling the hair of the Prime Minister. "After all it's a tall order to make him look good," he says.
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Under the headline "Hair today gong tomorrow", The Sun says the celebrity hairdresser joins several of Cameron's pals, neighbours and donors on the honours list. PR chief Alan Parker, who has holidayed with Cameron, was handed a knighthood, while property developer Peter Emerson, who has donated thousands to the Tories, was given an OBE.
The Mirror makes much of the £90 that the barber apparently charges for a cut. The paper's personal finance editor, Tricia Phillips, writes: "David Cameron splashing out £90 on a haircut is a real slap in the face for Britons struggling with his government's austerity measures."
The Evening Standard agrees that it is "not exactly a snip", but adds: "Perhaps Dave will now get mates' rates".
