From tennis pals at Oxford to the very top of Government: How Lord Feldman has been at Cameron's side for decades and why his comments tell us everything about No10 Pair first established rapport as students at Brasenose College in mid-1980s Qualified as lawyer, then aged 29 took over family clothing empire Lives in £3m home in Holland Park with wife and three children Did a role play with Cameron as he prepared for Leveson appearance He has never been an MP or a councillor, but is Cameron's closest friend First Tory chairman to be given office space in 10 Downing Street Lord Feldman, the man allegedly behind calling Tory grassroots supporters 'swivel-eyed loons,' has been a loyal presence at David Cameron's side for thirty years. Yet he never gives interviews, has never stood for elected office, and is virtually unknown outside Westminster. But now, it is the sheer strength and longevity of Cameron's friendship with Lord Feldman which makes the furore so damaging for the Tory leader because it is widely assumed their views are shared. Centuries old: Tennis partners: David Cameron (back row, far right) and Andrew Feldman (back row, 2nd left). The pair first established their rapport as students at Brasenose College, Oxford, in the mid-1980s and have remained extremely close since then Profiles of the peer usually describe the 47-year-old as either as 'Mr Cameron's tennis partner' or 'the PM's oldest political friend' - fuelling critics' claims that the Government is being run by a socially elite clique of old 'chums'. The impression is enhanced by photos of them as young men, posing for the college tennis club team (the pair are circled, left) and standing next to each other at the summer ball, which they had helped to organise - Lord Feldman was chairman of the committee, while Mr Cameron booked the entertainment. Critics: Profiles of the peer usually describe him either as 'Mr Cameron's tennis partner' or 'the PM's oldest political friend' - fuelling critics' claims that the Government is being run by a socially elite clique of old 'chums' So who is who is Lord Feldman of Elstree, and how has he become so close to the seat of power? Born into a well-off family, he went to Haberdashers" Aske's Boys" School in Hertfordshire, where he won a place to study Law at Oxford. It was at Brasenose College, Oxford, that he met Cameron. They organised a college May ball together and discovered they had a mutual love of racquet sports (another similarity shared between tennis-playing Tony Blair and Lord Levy). Lord Feldman urged Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 Since those college days, the friendship has been cemented, with Mr Cameron describing Lord Feldman as "one of my oldest and best friends." Scandal: Feldman's most serious brush with scandal came in 2008 when he was entangled with George Osborne in the 'yachtgate' saga: both Feldman and Shadow Chancellor Osborne were guests on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's yacht Queen K Like Cameron, Lord Feldman got a First in his final exams; then he took a job with management consultants Bain & Co. before, in 1991, being called to the Bar and practising as a commercial barrister at one of the country's top chambers. His family owns Jayroma, a multinational textile company making ladies" clothes, and in 1995, aged 29, he joined the firm, drawing a salary of £900,000 in one year alone. It meant he was able to buy the £3million house in Holland Park, West London, where he lives with his wife Gaby and their three children round the corner from David Cameron's house in Notting Hill. Tory figures describe Lord Feldman as likeable, friendly, extremely bright and unassuming. He skis regularly, enjoys yoga, and owns another house in Andalusia, southern Spain. It was Lord Feldman who not only urged Mr Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 after the party's third successive general election defeat, but also masterminded his campaign. Encouragement: Feldman urged Cameron to run for the Tory leadership as the dark horse candidate when Michael Howard announced that he was handing on the baton in 2005 Lord Feldman helped run Mr Cameron's bid with ruthless efficiency, calling in favours from his network of contacts in the business world and raising tens of thousands of pounds in the process. Through his family clothing firm, Lord Feldman himself donated £10,000 to the successful cause. He was appointed deputy treasurer of the party in 2005, and - ironically given the circumstances today - immediately let it be known that he wanted to end the dependency on major donors. He's not comfortable with individuals giving large amounts. He wants a wider base of people giving smaller amounts," said a party official at the time. But even before the Conservatives got into power, Lord Feldman made the wrong call. In 2007, he was chairman of the Leaders" Club, a dining group for Tory donors who each gave a minimum £50,000 to party funds each year. They would have lunch or dinner in Mr Cameron's office in the Commons and meet senior Tory politicians. But this arrangement was in breach of Parliament's rules, which do not allow party-political fundraising in the House of Westminster, and Mr Cameron was forced to "unreservedly apologise" after he was rebuked by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Sir Philip Mawer. In 2008, Lord Feldman was appointed chief executive of the Tory Party and was given specific responsibility for attracting party donors. Until now, Lord Feldman's most serious brush with scandal came in 2008 when he was entangled with George Osborne in the 'yachtgate' saga: both Feldman and Shadow Chancellor Osborne were guests on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's yacht off Corfu when Mr Osborne was accused of soliciting for a £50,000 donation to the party - at a time when Feldman had been given responsibility for 'widening the party's fundraising base'. Donations from foreign nationals such as Deripaska are illegal and Mr Osborne insisted neither he nor Lord Feldman had discussed donations with the Russian, and the storm passed. In January Lord Feldman said 'I did not know who Mr Deripaska was. I was going over because I had been invited, and it's a human weakness I'm afraid because I was fascinated to see this boat. I had never seen a boat of that size close up. Rise: After the Tories entered Government in 2010, Feldman was made co-chairman of the party and later in the year became Baron Feldman of Elstree Lord Feldman's key party roles mean he will have been privy to some of the most closely guarded secrets of the 'Cameron project' from the outset - no doubt reinforcing the Prime Minister's feelings of personal loyalty. Lord Feldman's importance to Mr Cameron, who has publicly described him as 'one of my oldest and best friends', was emphasised when he was tasked with 'prepping' the PM for his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. He played the role of Robert Jay, the counsel for the inquiry, by peppering Mr Cameron with likely questions about his relationship with newspaper owners. In 2007, Feldman was chairman of the Leaders' Club, a dining group for Tory donors who each gave a minimum £50,000 to party funds each year - they would have lunch or dinner in Mr Cameron's office in the Common Lord Feldman, one of the Prime Minister's closest friends and political allies, was accused of making the 'swivel-eyed loons' remark to journalists at a London hotel.