Saturday, April 11, 2009
The News of the World Taster
Iain Dale 7:23 PM
Tomorrow the News of the World will reveal the sensational details in the shocking email smears sent by Gordon Brown's top aide. The PM's spin-doctor, Damian McBride, and Derek Draper, who heads Labour's internet campaigning, outlined a dirty tricks war of highly personal stories about top Tories.
The plan was far more sophisticated than McBride or Draper have claimed and was close to completion.
Emails seen by the News of the World show McBride and Draper schemed to spread false malicious stories that:
o Opposition leader David Cameron had an embarrassing illness
o Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's wife was "emotionally fragile" just because she appeared upset at parties
o A Tory MP used his position to get publicity for lover’s business
o Involved allegations about female Tory MP Nadine Dorries and another named MP.
In the emails, McBride says: "We've got to keep up the momentum."
I hope to have more during the course of the evening.
Stories had been drafted and pictures selected to run alongside them.
McBride spoke to the Prime Minister this afternoon and formally resigned from his post as senior media strategy adviser.SmearGate: One Down, Two to Go
Iain Dale 5:45 PM
Tom Watson is Minister for the Civil Service. What did he do when he found about these emails? Did he berate Damian McBride and tell him to stop abusing his position? No. Instead, he either tacitly or overtly encouraged McBride to send more.
Is this really what the Minister for the Civil Service should be doing? He's not some Labour Party hack. He's a Minister of the Crown and responsible for the conduct of all who work in the Civil Service.
And what of Mr Draper. In a performance on Sky News which a psychotherapist would have a field day with, he maintained that these were "private emails between mates". Er, no. They were emails sent on government computers, by a government employee, in government time.
Draper also lied directly to me and also on the DAILY POLITICS (see the video HERE) about the existence of these emails. Today, on LabourList he admits they existed. He says they never saw the light of day. Well, the one which urged him to smear me and instructing him how to do it certainly did.
I have spoken to several Labour MPs over the course of the day. They are all of one mind: that Draper is bringing the Labour Party into disrepute and needs to be disowned.
I'm not holding my breath on that one.
I need a lie down.
(But stay tuned in during the course of the evening... :))
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Press release from the News of the World...
The news that Damian McBride has resigned is welcome indeed, but it isn't the end of the matter. There are further serious questions which need to be asked, not least about the role of Tom Watson, who sat next to McBride in the Downing Street bunker and was allegedly mentioned in the emails to Derek Draper.
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