Brown e-mail apology 'not needed'
Gordon Brown does not have to say sorry for e-mails sent by his adviser
that discussed smearing senior Tories, Health Secretary Alan Johnson has
said.
"Gordon Brown had nothing to do with this. You apologise for the things
you are responsible for," he told the BBC.
Mr Johnson said he felt "some shame" the tactics had been linked to his
party, but said the person involved had resigned and the issue was now
closed.
Tory leader David Cameron has demanded an apology from the prime
minister.
Damian McBride quit as a No 10 special adviser after his e-mails
containing unfounded claims about Tory leader David Cameron and shadow
chancellor George Osborne became known.
Gossip
The e-mails were originally sent in January to former government spin
doctor Derek Draper, who runs the LabourList blog and was proposing to
set up Red Rag, a new gossip-led site.
However, they came to the attention of Paul Staines, author of the
"anti-politics" Guido Fawkes blog, who revealed their existence.
Since the revelations emerged Mr Brown has come under pressure from the
Conservatives to launch an investigation and issue a public apology.
“ The stables do need to be cleaned out and it goes beyond the two
particular oiks we are obsessed with at the moment ”
Derek Scott Tony Blair's former economic advisor
But the health secretary told the BBC that as Mr McBride - who took care
of strategy and planning at No 10 - had gone immediately after the
affair came to light, it was now time to draw a line under the issue.
He said: "There is no place for this in British politics and Gordon
Brown has made that clear.
"You couldn't have been clearer or more forthright and of course the
special adviser responsible resigned," he said.
"Gordon is not responsible for every single person who works for him,
for what they do in their own time."
Mr Johnson said he acknowledged the e-mails were a more serious matter
than the type of gossip usually found in political and media
organisations.
But he added that their significance had been blown out of proportion by
the media because it was "a bank holiday Monday" with few major stories
to focus on.
'Deeply disturbing'
Tony Blair's former economic adviser, Derek Scott, told BBC Radio 4's
Today programme that although he did not think Mr Brown was directly
responsible, the smear tactics represented a culture that came from the
top.
He said: "I think the tone, whether in a business or a political party,
is set from above."
"The really damaging thing is they think they are being ultra loyal to
Mr Brown and the Labour Party, but in fact they are doing the Labour
Party an awful lot of damage.
"The stables do need to be cleaned out and it goes beyond the two
particular oiks we are obsessed with at the moment," he added.
Asked whether he felt such a culture prevailed at Number 10, Mr Johnson
said: "No, I don't accept that at all and Gordon Brown wouldn't accept
that."
Backbench Conservative MP Nadine Dorries, who was the focus of some of
the e-mails, said Mr McBride had been made the "fall guy" for the whole
debacle.
When asked if the prime minister should apologise, Ms Dorries said: "The
buck stops with the prime minister. Damian McBride was his direct
employee."
She said conversations about the e-mails had been "going round for some
considerable time".
"We've all been warned as Conservative MPs that this dirty tricks
campaign was about to be launched. I was contacted months ago about the
contents of these e-mails, by the national press."
Ms Dorries has taken legal advice and said she would be making a
decision on Tuesday about what action to take.
'Incompetence'
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague also demanded an apology and an
investigation.
And he called for an assurance that neither Damian McBride nor Derek
Draper would work for the government or the Labour Party again.
Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne earlier said Mr Brown knew nothing of
the e-mails and dismissed suggestions of an orchestrated smear campaign.
Mr Staines has refused to reveal how the messages found their way to
him, despite complaints from Mr Draper that they were private.
Mr McBride described the first claim as a ''solid investigative story'',
but the other three as ''mainly gossipy, and intended to destabilise the
Tories".
Mr Draper has apologised to those mentioned in the e-mails and admitted
"we should never really have considered the idea and I am sorry we did".
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, wrote in his blog
that he had been struck not just by the "unpleasantness" of the e-mails,
but also by their "incompetence"
"McBride will be thinking that was his big mistake - writing it all
down. His really big mistake was thinking it might be effective," Mr
Campbell added.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.
Published: 2009/04/13 09:41:49 GMT
Monday, 13 April 2009
(typical)
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