So, I was invited to the launch of the UK – India Business Leaders Climate Group on Friday at the London Business School, in which David Cameron MP launched a new forum that links businesses in UK & India to find synergies and technologies that fight global warming.

Amongst the good and great, Lord Chris Patten – one time Chairman of the Conservative Party, Baroness Hogg – Chairman of 3i and former Head of John Major’s Policy Unit at Downing St, and Sir Stuart Rose of M&S – all rubbed shoulders with almost half a dozen Shadow Tory Ministers and approx 50 business folks.

On the face of it, great idea… but I can’t help thinking that DC’s statement that the group was an apolitical force for good, is slightly misleading given the make up of the room and the critical remarks of the current government.

Looking at this from the Indian side, this represents a much cleverer manner to court the Conservatives, rather than the approach they’ve adopted in the past few years of going after them in a more aggressive manner. This, the more subtler approach is probably a reaction to the narrowing in opinion polls, in which it seems we’re headed into hung-parliament territory and not a certain Tory win.