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The "Piggate" scandal (also known as Swine/11 or Bae of Pigs) in the United Kingdom concerns the allegations made by Lord Ashcroft in his book about UK's prime minister David Cameron.

In mid-to-late September of 2015, prior to the release of Lord Ashcroft's book, it sprung up that the book contains details on David Cameron's alleged use of drugs during his university days, as well as information that there is photographic evidence of an incident in which David Cameron, as part of an initiation ceremony to the Piers Gaveston Society, put a private part of his anatomy into a dead pig's mouth.

Background

Lord Ashcroft had long been a supporter of UK's Conservative party, its biggest donor having donated around £10 million, before dropping his support for the party in 2013 due to conflicts with David Cameron. Some commentators have interpreted these allegations as Ashcroft's revenge and reignition of the feud.

Reactions

When the allegations of the incident were mentioned by a caller on The Wright Stuff, Matthew Wright's television chat show that discusses daily matters with regular people, the caller was cut off. Claims were made that the story was strangely avoided on old media. One report stated that some media were avoiding covering the story due to possible libel charges that might ensue. BBC's decision not to report on the allegations was criticized. Its belated recension of the event was said to completely leave out the word 'pig'. Some have deemed BBC's choice to 'dodge' the story of the day 'unacceptable'.

After the allegations surfaced, social media users quickly made connections to the Charlie Brooker TV series Black Mirror which features an episode wherein the fictional prime minister of the United Kingdom has sex with a pig. Charlie Brooker quickly denied any connection or prior knowledge of the allegations. Sky New Zealand's official Twitter account advertised its airing of Black Mirror with a comment saying "A strangely prescient tale" and using the hashtag #piggate.

The scandal also elicited response from other politicians as well as a parody clip by Cassetteboy.

After being asked about the allegations, the prime minister's spokesperson refused to comment.

References

1. "David Cameron Accused of Sex Act With a Dead Pig". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
2. "Cameron biography: Ashcroft makes new debauchery claims about student days". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
3. "David Cameron claims: Five things you need to know". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
4. "David Cameron 'piggate' allegations: PM 'will not dignify' claims he put genitals in pig's mouth". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
5. "#Piggate- Conservative association cancels planned pig racing night". Morley Observer. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
6. "Here's how politicians reacted to David Cameron's #piggate". Metro. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
7. "Twitter lampoons David Cameron over #piggate claim". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
8. "Why David Cameron's 'Pig-Gate' Scandal Isn't Going Away". TIME. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
9. "I'M still a Tory... but I wonder if Cameron is: Top donor Ashcroft drops his support for the party over PM's gay marriage 'obsession'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
10. "Lord Ashcroft gets his revenge on David Cameron: #piggate". Spectator. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
11. "Lord Ashcroft reignites bitter feud with David Cameron". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
12. "Matthew Wright Brutally Shuts Down Caller Mentioning David Cameron #PigGate Allegations". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
13. "How the David Cameron 'piggate' allegations left the broadcast media hamstrung". The Drum. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
14. "The BBC's decision not to report the dead pig allegations against David Cameron is unacceptable". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
15. "From #piggate to #Hameron: how Twitter reacted to David Cameron claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
16. "David Cameron pig allegations: Black Mirror episode in which a prime minister has sex with pig sees sudden spike in interest". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
17. "9 questions about David Cameron's #PigGate you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
18. "Charlie Brooker on Cameron and #piggate: 'I'd have been screaming it into traffic if I'd known'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
19. "SKY New Zealand". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
20. "Councillors poke fun at Cameron piggate scandal". Western Morning News. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
21. "Cassetteboy has mashed up David Cameron's speeches into 'Gettin' Piggy With it'". Metro. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
22. "Downing Street stays silent over claims David Cameron put genitals in a dead pig's mouth while at Oxford University". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
23. "Piggate explained—or, why everyone is talking about David Cameron and a dead pig". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

• Political scandals in the United Kingdom
• David Cameron