BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown moved yesterday to restore his severely damaged moral authority by demanding that all political special advisers be summarily dismissed if they are found to be involved in sending out inappropriate material or personal attacks.
He acted after his close political aide, Damian McBride, was forced to resign at the weekend after it was revealed he was plotting a smear campaign against Tory leader David Cameron and three other senior Conservatives.
Mr Brown also disclosed he was writing privately to those targeted by his aide, expressing his personal regret. But his spokesman stressed that Mr Brown is not offering any personal apology since he was not aware of Mr McBride’s plans.
In the most strongly worded condemnation yet of the episode by a senior Labour figure, UK health secretary Alan Johnson said the McBride smears, contained in an e-mail sent to a Labour blogger Derek Draper, brought “shame” on Labour.
“I am surprised and I am shocked and I am disgusted,” he said. “They were cruel apart from anything else, totally salacious. I do feel some shame that anyone associated with the Labour party would even contemplate using that in British politics.”
Mr Johnson added he was sure the prime minister would wish to reflect on how he ran his private office, but said he saw no grounds for Mr Brown to apologise.
Another former cabinet minister said Mr McBride had been using black arts against his internal party rivals with Mr Brown’s knowledge for years.
A spokeswoman for Mr Cameron said Mr Brown’s promise to redraft the special adviser rules showed he “has finally recognised the gravity of what’s been happening in Downing Street”.
But privately the Tories were contemptuous that there was no apology. They suggested Mr Brown’s plan to change the code of conduct for special advisers to make smearing a sackable offence was pointless since the current code makes it clear personal attacks on opponents are entirely improper.
Mr Brown’s initiative came in the form of a letter to the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell. He wrote: “I have already taken responsibility for acting on this – first by accepting Mr McBride’s resignation and by making it clear to all concerned that such actions have no part to play in the public life of our country.”
He also sought to defend his cabinet office minister and ally Tom Watson by writing 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 e-mails that are the subject of current discussion”.
The wording does not rule out Mr Watson being aware of plans to run a scurrilous blog to be entitled Red Rag aimed at attacking Tory hypocrisy.
The revised code of conduct for special advisers, Mr Brown suggested, should include “a more explicit assurance . . . that not only are the highest standards expected of political advisers but that the preparation or dissemination of inappropriate material or personal attacks have no part to play in the job”.
Mr Brown's move followed Tory calls for Mr O'Donnell to investigate who had been involved in plans for a Tory attack website. – ( Guardian service)