Email smears regret 'not enough'

Apr 14 2009

The Tories vowed to keep up the pressure on Gordon Brown over the "smeargate" scandal, despite the Prime Minister writing to those named in controversial emails, expressing "deep regret".

Tory leader David Cameron welcomed the handwritten message from the Prime Minister, saying it showed he had "finally recognised the gravity of what's been happening in Downing Street".

But behind the scenes the Opposition was furious that he had not said sorry for the personal claims made about the party leader and three colleagues by former Number 10 aide Damian McBride.

They dismissed as a "smokescreen" Mr Brown's move to tighten up the code of conduct for special advisers - instead lodging a formal complaint with the head of the civil service over breaches of the existing rules.

And they called on Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell to investigate what role was played by Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson, although Mr Brown insisted no ministers or other officials were involved.

Mr McBride, a close adviser to the Prime Minister for almost a decade, resigned in disgrace after admitting sending "juvenile and inappropriate" emails from his Downing Street account to former spin doctor Derek Draper.

In the private missives, the two men discussed setting up an "attack blog" called Red Rag that would have spread unfounded gossip about Conservative opponents.

The mooted stories - which are all vehemently denied - were said to include rumours involving the wife of shadow chancellor George Osborne, the health of Mr Cameron, the personal relations of MP Nadine Dorries and accusations that a Tory MP was promoting his partner's business interests in the Commons.

Mr Brown wrote to all four as well as sending a letter to Sir Gus saying he wanted to toughen up the rules surrounding special advisers to make sure the controversy was never repeated.

In future special advisers should have to sign an agreement containing a "more explicit" ban on personal attacks that would also make clear such activity would lead to instant dismissal, he suggested.