What the Butler saw
James Forsyth 1:20pm
Robin Butler, the former Cabinet Secretary, gave a most interesting interview to Steve Richards on the Westminster Hour this morning. Butler was Cabinet Secretary between 1988 and 1998 and so was there for the slew of leaks that occurred during the tail-end of the Major government. He admitted that most internal leak inquiries achieved little and that he would often ask the police to investigate. However, he noted that he could not “command” the police to help, he could only ask.
The police, Butler said, generally refused to get involved unless there was “prima facie” evidence that a serious crime had been committed. It does appear that this approach has been broken with in this case. (Of course, there is the possibility that there is the possibility that there is more serious evidence that we are unaware of.)
Butler’s comments will only add to the unease about the risk of an appearance of conflict of interest involved in Sir David Normington, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, interviewing and vetting people for the top job at the Met who were involved in the decision to act so aggressively in this inquiry which was launched at his request.
PS Like Tim Montgomerie, I found Michael Gove’s warm words about Nick Clegg earlier in the show to be most interesting.
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Chuck Unsworth
December 6th, 2008 3:27pm Report this commentNormington should stand aside until the Inquries are finished. Indeed it would be politic of him to step down from his post until then. That might preclude suggestions of rigging evidence - not that a man of Normington's integrity and honour would dream of such a thing.
MartinW
December 6th, 2008 4:47pm Report this commentIt is always interesting to hear what Butler has to say, but it seems clear that the politicisation of the police since Butler's day (especially, perhaps, in the Met.) makes direct comparisons impossible. When he was Cabinet Secretary, the police doubtless required a 'prima face' case that a serious crime had been committed, but recent events suggest this is no longer the case when they are subject to political 'guidance' by the present governing party.
Tarquin
December 6th, 2008 8:07pm Report this commentOr, of course, it is simply possible, hard for Tories to contemplate, I know, that there has been a serious crime committed. The police are hardly likely to comment at this stage. Time will tell.
(Sits back and waits for outrage.)
Nicholas
December 7th, 2008 10:22am Report this commentAccording to a CPS leak reported in NOTW there is no crime and there will be no prosecutions:-
http://blogs.notw.co.uk/politics/2008/12/green-in-the-cl.html#
Which makes the whole thing yet another New Labour/Police orchestrated fiasco of astronomical proportions.
It should be you New Labour stooges who feel outrage. Outrage at how your party, which once stood for something (even if we didn't agree with it), has been hi-jacked by a gang of self-serving charlatans who stand for nothing other than their own survival, by any means, and who cannot put our parliamentary democracy above tribal party politics.
oldtimer
December 7th, 2008 11:23am Report this commentIt seems that this is part of a campaign to prevent leaks and suppress information that has gone too far. This is typical of the actions of Brown and co.
The latest Banking Bill, removing the Bank of England`s weekly account on money in circulation, is but the latest example.
It is the mushroom management strategy, known more colloquially as keep them in the dark and cover them with crap - "them" meaning us, the long suffering general public.
It is enforced by the police. Just as the Whips Office are now memorably described by Quentin Letts as rentagob, perhaps the police should be known as rentabog. nfortunately for them, it was not a fan but the floor of the House of Commons that was the object of their misguided intentions.
In my defence, Matthew d`Ancona did say that this had descended to the level of a Whitehall farce.
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