| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Britain | |
| Key Brown advisor quits over obscene emails, plans to smear Tories | |
| 2009-04-12 | |
| In a major blow for the Prime Minister, Damian McBride quit his post as a senior Downing Street adviser after landing the Government in a row over the messages sent to another prominent Labour figure about the private lives of senior Conservatives. Mr McBrides position became untenable after high-level calls for him to be sacked. Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, said that Mr McBride had brought shame on the Labour Party by planning a smear campaign against Mr Cameron. Downing Street issued a statement saying that Mr McBride had resigned. A spokesman said it was Mr Browns view that there was "no place in politics for the dissemination or publication of material of this kind". Mr McBride had earlier apologised for the "juvenile and inappropriate" comments and insisted that no one else at No 10 had been involved. But the row showed little signs of abating as details emerged of the emails contents. They were sent from Mr McBrides high-security Downing Street account to Derek Draper, a former Labour spin doctor who runs a Left-wing website. They contained a number of innuendo-laden suggestions about the personal lives of Tory MPs including Mr Cameron and George Osborne, the shadow chancellor. The emails were obtained by Paul Staines, a Tory blogger who runs an internet site called Guido Fawkes. They were offered to newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, which declined to buy them. However, several other newspapers were preparing to publish the material. Before Mr McBride announced his resignation, Mr Clarke had said: "Damian McBride has no place in 10 Downing Street. His actions bring shame to the Labour Party and he should be dismissed immediately." The Tories accused Downing Street of engaging in the "politics of the gutter". Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said the claims were "blatant lies". He said: "This whole episode has been quite disgraceful. This resignation is a clear admission that Gordon Browns team at No 10 were involved in a deliberate attempt to spread unpleasant false rumours about opposition politicians." Tory officials were concerned about publication of the emails, and some Conservative MPs named in them took legal advice. Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said: "I know what is in the email about me and it is 100 per cent untrue and slanderous. I want an apology from Gordon Brown because one of his civil servants, paid for by taxpayers money, has been trying to destroy me. "How low can Downing Street stoop? How desperate are they to cling on to power? They say its a bit of a joke but it is taxpayers money and my career and my reputation are not a joke either." Mr McBride had been in charge of strategic planning at No 10 since last October, when he was moved from his position as Mr Browns spokesman. A source close to Mr McBride said that he and Mr Draper were simply "knocking around ideas" for a blog which never got off the ground. However, the Tories claimed that the emails were indicative of a wider attempt by Labour to undermine the Conservatives by attacking Mr Cameron personally. Mr McBride said he was "shocked and appalled" at the way his emails had been leaked.
| |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #3 Cool, AlanC! I also think defenestrations could give it a nice, even entertaining twist. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2009-04-12 18:37 |
| #2 I would like to propose a new slogan for Tea Parties: PITCHFORKS ARE FOR POLITICIANS!! I'm going to try it out in Worcester MA on Wed. What do you think? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-04-12 12:42 |
| #1 A graduate of the Podesta/Begala School of Political Action. |
| Posted by: balthazar 2009-04-12 10:12 |