The dastardly Mr Deedes
Barclays’ £700m tussle with Prince Andrew’s former lover, Gucci-clad city fixer Amanda Staveley, is bubbling along nicely. I’m told her complex High Court lawsuit over alleged unpaid fees has caught the eye of Hollywood scriptwriters. Who could play blonde, hot-to-trot Amanda, 43? My preference would be jolie-laide Aussie Elizabeth Debicki, who played sexy gangster’s moll, Jed, in BBC drama The Night Manager. The Institute of Directors hosted a wellattended leaving bash this week at its Pall Mall headquarters for its departing chief Simon Walker. Guests included Chancellor Philip Hammond and ex-PM Sir John Major. Hammond’s recently deposed predecessor George Osborne delivered a gracious speech, remarking: ‘Simon and I are both leaving high profile institutions after five years with no clue what to do next.’ Was wily George letting assorted business dignitaries know casa Osborne is now open to offers? Re Osborne, his former underling, exGoldman Sachs executive-turned minister Jim O’Neill, was in full voice at a Treasury reception across town. He was overheard making claims on Osborne’s pet project, the Northern Powerhouse, telling anyone who’d listen: ‘ That whole Northern Powerhouse thing was my idea. George just invented the name.’ Will Manchester-born O’Neill, 59, be making the same boast in ten years time? John F Kennedy once opined: ‘Success has a thousand fathers. Failure is an orphan.’ Time to send out a search and rescue team for Ocado chairman Lord (Stuart) Rose? An erstwhile media-friendly cove, not a peep’s been heard out of the frisky silver fox since the build-up to June’s referendum. The former Marks & Spencer boss was supposed to be the ‘face’ of the Remain campaign, but was quietly sidelined after a series of gaffes. I trust Rose, 67, isn’t smarting from his public pruning. Amstrad founder Lord (Alan) Sugar hosts a seminar entitled How to be Successful in Business this November at the Museum of London. Cost per ticket? A trifling £72. A little steep for a talk, even from someone of such honeyed eloquence as the bearded old rascal, 69.