1987 Bullingdon Club photograph

In 1987, a photograph was taken of uniformed members of the Bullingdon Club featuring many people who went on to hold prominent positions in finance, business, media and government, including future Prime Ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

The image was published in the UK media in 2007 and bolstered criticism of Cameron, who at the time was Leader of the Opposition, for being elitist and out of touch with ordinary people.

[3] Formed in the 1700s as a society for cricket and hunting, the club has a long association with the British upper class with former members including Jacob Rothschild, Peter Palumbo and Richard Scott.

[4] Future Prime Minister David Cameron was invited to join the Bullingdon Club at the end of his first year at Oxford University.

[5]: 58  People who knew Cameron at the time have said that he was not a typical Bullingdon Club member as he had a careful demeanour and was not known to be a heavy drinker.

[5]: 58–59  Other future prominent Conservative politicians who were members of the club around this time included Boris Johnson and George Osborne.

[3][8][9] The men are dressed in the club's uniform of tailcoats, blue ties, beige waistcoats, velvet collars, silk lapels and monogrammed buttons which at the time cost around £1,000.

[3][10] In 2007, the picture came to public attention after it was published in a biography of Cameron by Francis Elliott and James Hanning and in The Mail on Sunday.

[3] Johnson's sister, Rachel, described the picture as "elitist, arrogant, privileged and of an age that would have little resonance with people on low incomes who didn't go to Eton.

[16] The same year the copyright holders, Gillman and Soame, a photography company based in Oxford withdrew any permission to reproduce the image.

[14] The photograph was used on the front cover of the Daily Mirror on the day of the 2010 general election despite the risk of repercussions for breaching copyright laws.