My spies tell me that the Member for Richmond is not giving interviews to journalists on the Ashcroft affair. At some point William will have to come up for air.

We all want to know when he first learned of Ashcroft’s non dom status and how he found out. Was it before 28 January 2010 when the Information Commissioner published his Decision Notice on my FoI request, or after? And why did he keep David Cameron in the dark? Simple and straightforward questions so why the coyness about answering?

While we wait, we should all turn our attention to the HM Revenue and Customs manual which gives guidance to Revenue officers on how to deal with questions of domicile.

Ashcroft was born in the UK of UK parents and therefore acquired “domicile of origin”.

He subsequently acquired a new domicile, let’s say in Belize. This became his “domicile of choice”.

On 23 March 2000, in a letter to Hague, Ashcroft writes; “I hereby give you my clear and unequivocal assurance that I have decided to take up permanent residence in the UK again before the end of this calendar year.”

As we now know, Ashcroft became a long term UK resident while retaining non dom status.

It is now time to consult the HMRC Manual.

Go to paragraph 49300.

A Domicile of Choice is “acquired by the combination of physical presence in a territory as an actual inhabitant of it”. That is the meaning of residence.

“The intention to remain there permanently or indefinitely” is the meaning of intention.

We are told: “It is lost by the cessation of both “residence” and “intention”.

An individual’s domicile would, in these circumstances, revert to the Domicile of Origin. The UK.

We need to know what Ashcroft’s tax lawyers were telling the taxman. And what checks and inquiries were made by the Inland Revenue.

It is astonishing that a UK citizen, born in Chichester, West Sussex, educated in England, can acquire a domicile of choice, Belize, yet return to the UK to take up long term residence in the UK and retain non dom status.

Ashcroft told us in his statement on 1 March 2010 that “in dialogue with the Government” his solemn and binding undertaking to Hague on 23 March 2000 “to take up permanent residence in the UK” had morphed into “long term residence”.

What a complete weasel of a man.

Check out the HMRC Manual on:

www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/domicile-tier2.pdf