Lady Swire's diary and a Hillsborough Castle tour

Hillsborough castle is the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland

Sasha Swire

The waspish diaries from the wife of a Tory MP have grabbed the attention of the chattering classes in London with their tales of former PM David Cameron being so entranced by her perfume that he joked about carrying her off into the bushes.

Sasha Swire's husband, Hugo, spent two years as a Northern Ireland minister.

The extracts published so far by the Times and Sunday Times don't add anything to our knowledge of the peace process but they do provide an amusing sneak peek into the somewhat unedifying world of aristocratic Tory wives who regard ministers' "grace and favour" homes as the baubles of power.

After her husband's appointment as a Minister of State, Sasha exchanges texts with Frances, the wife of George Osborne, who tells her she must come to stay at Dorneywood, a splendid 18th century country home in Buckinghamshire.

Sasha texts back replying "And you must come to Hillsborough, darling!" Adding that the two of them are "like kids in a sweet shop".

In another entry Cameron tells her she has to be nice to him, as "I've given your husband a castle and a butler, for goodness' sake, and he's even got more bloody security than me."

My old friend Denis Murray

Back in March I spent an entertaining evening at Hillsborough Castle listening to my old friend and colleague, former BBC Ireland Correspondent Denis Murray, give a tour of the premises.

Denis chatted about the many crisis summits and crunch negotiations which took place at the Castle, with a string of anecdotes about Tony Blair's "hand of history" remarks and the likes of Mo Mowlam, John De Chastelain and George Bush.

Former BBC Ireland Correspondent Denis Murray, give a tour of Hillsborough Castle

Hugo Swire didn't make the cut. Although he did some valuable work behind the scenes regarding, for example, the Derry/Londonderry bid for city of culture, the years Sir Hugo and Owen Paterson were in situ can't be regarded as the NIO's high watermark.

Indeed, one of the reasons Lady Swire might have made a note in her diary referring to the decoration of Stormont House as "most tasteless" was the ubiquity of the images of Tony Blair and Mo Mowlam.

The photographs were intended to emphasise the NIO's achievements in conflict resolution, but seemed too much of a reminder of New Labour's glory days for the incoming ministers.

Moving pictures

With a background as a Sotheby's auctioneer and a wife particularly fascinated by mansions, Sir Hugo took a personal interest in the decor at both Hillsborough and Stormont House.

Together with Owen Paterson, he moved a couple of pictures of the Queen over from the Castle to their Stormont base.

The decision subsequently stirred controversy after an NIO civil servant complained that the portraits meant Stormont House could no longer be regarded as a neutral working environment.

Given the many hours both Denis Murray and I spent on the outside at Hillsborough Castle, peering through the imposing gates, sometimes in blizzards and driving rain, it was a treat back in March to be in the warm enjoying the grandeur of the state rooms with a glass of wine to look forward to at the end.

Denis's talk was meant to be the inaugural event kicking off a series of specialist political tours of the castle - an imaginative initiative by Historic Royal Palaces, the charity which now runs the Castle, to expand the variety of experiences for visitors.

However Denis's tour took place during the calm before the storm - a fortnight later Boris Johnson ordered a UK wide lockdown and we all know what happened after that.

Tourism nosedived and Hillsborough Castle closed for a prolonged period. It did re-open, but like many other visitor attractions has battled with its finances. Sadly this week it announced a consultation on making more than 30 staff redundant.

'Here today, gone tomorrow'

As I write, there's talk in London of a "circuit breaker" clamping down on more economic activity and local Covid restrictions are being introduced in an increasing number of postcode areas across Northern Ireland.

None of us can be sure exactly what the next few months might bring, but hopefully there's a better future ahead for the Hillsborough staff and all the other workers whose lives have been thrown into turmoil.

Sasha Swire's father is Sir John Nott, the Defence Secretary who once stormed out of a TV studio after Robin Day suggested he was a "here-today and, if I may say so, gone-tomorrow politician."

Whether his daughter's candid memoir will be a here-today, gone-tomorrow publishing sensation isn't entirely clear, but Denis Murray might have to amend his script for any post pandemic political tours.

The diary contains a few unvarnished accounts of the gossip during royal visits to Hillsborough and one amusing anecdote involving the Queen, the Swires' daughter and a Belfast pizzeria.

I have been off for a few days, so I am glad to say my colleague Stephen Walker is standing in for me on Inside Politics Q&A on Monday.

The edition will concentrate on Newry & Armagh, a constituency impacted by the latest BT60 restrictions and Nichola Mallon's decision to give planning approval to a cross-border electricity interconnector.

Local businesses will also be keeping a keen eye on the increasingly fractious Brexit negotiations.

Stephen's guests will be Sinn Féin's Liz Kimmins, the DUP's William Irwin and the SDLP's Justin McNulty.

If you have any questions for our panel please email [e-mail] or tweet using our hashtag #bbcip.