A FORMER pupil of Malvern College who is now a high-profile journalist is at the centre of the furore surrounding Prime Minister David Cameron's student days.

James Delingpole, who writes for the Spectator, the Daily Telegraph and other publications, is described as a close friend of Mr Cameron's in the controversial new biography of the PM by Lord Ashcroft.

He was quoted in the Daily Mail saying that his room at Christ Church, Oxford, was a meeting place for his friends Mr Cameron and James Fergusson, now a leading writer, where they would smoke dope and listen to records by Supertramp, the 70s prog-rock group.

Mr Delingpole, 50, who grew up in Alvechurch, said: "There was a division at Oxford between those of us who wanted to live the Brideshead lifestyle - to ape it - and the people wearing donkey jackets who were in support of the miners.

‘The atmosphere among those of us who wanted to live the Brideshead life was really quite pleasant. There were cocktail parties in the Master’s Garden, and we could all play at being Sebastian Flyte."

Mr Delingpole also talked about the Bullingdon Club, a drinking club notorious known for its bad behaviour, which Mr Cameron joined.

He said: "Looking back a) I didn’t have enough money, and b) I wouldn’t have actually enjoyed the sort of things they did, because I’m not very good at drinking heinous quantities and behaving really, really badly.

"It’s about mindless destruction, conspicuous excess and the rather ugly side of upper-class life. It’s loathsome."

The book, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail, also made the lurid claims that Mr Cameron had a bizarre sexual initiation ceremony involving a pig.

Mr Delingpole's brother, Richard Delingpole, lives in St John's, Worcester and has stood for election to both Worcestershire County Council and Worcester City Council for UKIP but failed to make the breakthrough.

Downing Street has refused to comment on any of the claims made in the book, Call Me Dave.