Daily catch-up: the growing Court of Prince George

The Chancellor's leadership campaign power base, and other matters

George Osborne and his helpers, by André Carrilho for The Independent on Sunday

I wrote about the Court of Prince George in The Independent on Sunday yesterday. I found it remarkable that the Treasury press office refused to tell me how many special advisers the Chancellor employs. The answer is nine, two more than he had last year (although one is on maternity leave), although it possible that there are others I haven't yet found out about.

Update: I've found another one, on the MWW wall chart. Lisa Buckland, who I think used to work for Claire Perry, the transport minister. So that's 10. I will update the original article.

Special advisers are a good idea: in theory they should make democracy work better. That makes it all the more important, though, to deride the hypocrisy of David Cameron, who promised to "cut the cost of politics" by halving their numbers and then hiring more than Labour did. Nor can I see why one cabinet minister should have so many more than the rest – and nor do Conservative MPs who support other candidates in the Tory leadership campaign. As for instructing civil service press officers not to tell journalists who the special advisers are, that is one of the more counter-productive media management decisions I've come across.

In my column for The Independent on Sunday I considered George Osborne's ambitions further and discussed the theory that he is bound to fall out with Cameron sooner or later. The theory goes that Cameron will want to put off his departure for as long as possible. Those around him do not demur when it is suggested that he should carry on until late in 2019 (although they do express unspecific scepticism when I suggest the "Australian option" of a handover at the start of the general election campaign in March or April 2020). Osborne, meanwhile, may want to take his chance as near to now as possible, while opinion polls suggest he is the most popular candidate among Tory party members, who will make the final choice.

However, somewhat to my surprise, I concluded that Cameron is in a strong position, and there is nothing that Osborne can do to hasten the succession without appearing disloyal and thereby damaging his chances. Popular as he might be among party members, the Prime Minister is more popular still, having just won an election many in the party expected to lose.

• My colleague Hamish McRae's column yesterday was a big-brainer. He looked beyond last week's Office for National Statistics forecast of a rising British population to UN forecasts of changes in working populations of rich countries. Those of English-speaking countries, the US, Canada, UK and Australia, are expected to increase, while those of France, Germany, most of the rest of Europe and Japan are expected to decline. What is it about the English language that makes its speakers more economically successful?

• The Top Ten in The New Review, the Independent on Sunday magazine, is Anachronistic Skeuomorphs, like the picture of a quill used by Twitter to mean "type".

• And finally, thanks to Moose Allain ‏for this:

"Catwoman's full name is Catherine Woman."