PM: No ministers involved in smears

Apr 13 2009

Gordon Brown has insisted that no ministers were involved in the "smeargate" emails scandal as he tried to control the damaging controversy by calling for tighter rules to prevent a repeat.

In a letter to the head of the civil service, Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Prime Minister said the controversy sparked by a senior aide's slurs against several high-profile Tories was "a matter of great regret".

He said in future special advisers should have to sign an agreement that engaging in such personal attacks would lead to instant dismissal.

Mr Brown, who faced demands from one of the MPs named in the email for a personal apology, said he had written personally to all of those slurred - including Tory leader David Cameron.

The Prime Minister's special adviser, Damian McBride, resigned at the weekend when the emails were revealed.

In his letter, Mr Brown told Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus he had been "assured that no minister and no political adviser other than the person involved had any knowledge of or involvement in these private emails that are the subject of current discussion".

It followed Tory calls for Sir Gus to investigate whether Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson had any involvement and how much the PM himself knew about plans for a Labour "attack" website.

Calling for tighter rules, Mr Brown wrote: "Mr McBride has apologised and done so unreservedly. But it is also important to make sure such behaviour does not happen again. Any activity such as this that affects the reputation of our politics is a matter of great regret to me and I am ready to take whatever action is necessary to improve our political system."

He insisted he had "taken responsibility" for the scandal by accepting the resignation of Mr McBride - a very close adviser to Mr Brown for many years - "and by making it clear to all concerned that such actions have no part to play in the public life of our country".

Mr McBride quit in shame after emails he sent to Derek Draper, a former spin doctor who runs the LabourList website, from his Downing Street email account were revealed. They contained stories - all vehemently denied - about senior Tories including Mr Cameron and George Osborne, intended for publication on an "attack blog" with the provisional title Red Rag.