British prime minister Gordon Brown was “furious” when he found out about the smear emails written by a key aide about top Tories, his spokesman said today amid renewed Tory pressure for an inquiry into the scandal.
The spokesman said there was now a “huge amount of frustration” in Downing Street that the controversy was diverting attention from efforts to deal with the country’s problems such as the recession.
The author of the emails, special adviser Damian McBride, quit on Saturday when the story emerged and will not receive any severance pay, the prime minister’s spokesman confirmed.
Mr Brown, who accepts that none of the allegations made about Conservatives including David Cameron were true, has written to the subjects of the emails expressing “regret” but not offering any personal apology.
Mr Brown has also called for tighter rules governing the behaviour of political aides. Amid anger from the Tories, Downing Street said Mr Brown had asked Britain's most senior civil servant Sir Gus O'Donnell to bring in stricter guidelines on the conduct of political advisers.
"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," Mr Brown said in the letter to Mr O'Donnell.
Mr Cameron's spokesman said the opposition leader "welcomes the prime minister's letter and that he has finally recognised the gravity of what has been happening in Downing Street".
But some Conservatives said Mr Brown had yet to make a formal apology and called on him to give full details about who was involved in the emails.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has written to O'Donnell asking him to investigate further.
"The emails sent by Damian McBride raise serious concerns about the operation of 10 Downing Street, and the degree to which the rules about the role of Special Advisers are being enforced," said his letter, released today.
"Mr McBride was hardly a peripheral figure. He was personally appointed by the Prime Minister and directly responsible to him.
"He worked alongside the Minister for the Civil Service, Tom Watson, at the heart of the Prime Minister's office."
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries, who was mentioned in the emails, has also rejected suggestions that Mr Brown was unaware of Mr McBride's activities.
"In the real world, a boss is responsible for the actions of his employees ... he (McBride) takes his instructions directly from the prime minister, he reports to the prime minister," she told Sky News.
However Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said Mr Brown had done enough.
"You've got the prime minister expressing deep regret for what's happened, saying that this behaviour has no place in British politics, strengthening the system around which special advisers operate," she told Sky News.
"What more would people expect him to do? I mean he didn't write the emails - he had no knowledge of that."
Wires