The Leveson inquiry has rebuffed the government’s suggestion that it should decide on the probity of Jeremy Hunt’s actions during the notorious BSkyB bid. The inquiry says that alleged breaches of the ministerial code do not fall within its remit. A spokesman for the inquiry also quashed Nick Clegg’s claim that ‘we’ve already got an agreement Jeremy Hunt will go to the Leveson [inquiry] pretty quick.’ An inquiry spokesman said that it would not be fair to bring forward Hunt’s appearance. The Culture Secretary will appear in the middle of May.
These developments are an embarrassment for David Cameron, emphasising that he has not called an inquiry into the Hunt affair. Indeed, MPs have been asking what Sir Alex Allan, the government’s independent advisor on the ministerial code, is for.
Some Tory disquiet is building. I’ve spoken to a few Tory backbench teams who are sceptical of the way this has been handled. It is yet another own goal, they say. Most think that Hunt should have resigned to clear his name, and hold that the minister’s stately airs are not endearing. There is concern that this will do the party long-term damage: the memory of pasties and granny taxes will fade, but allegations of Tory sleaze do not. There is a damning opinion ComRes poll in the Independent today. Its headline is that 63 per cent of respondents believe that Jeremy Hunt should resign. Further down the poll, you’ll find that 49 per cent of Tory voters think Hunt should resign, while 27 per cent do not.
The immediate question is will this affect next week’s local and mayoral elections? It would be miraculous if it didn’t, but this is an age of miracles – all be it negative ones. The underlying fact in the Independent poll is that the British are out of love with mainstream politics, a phenomenon that Fraser examined in his Telegraph column yesterday. Ed Miliband is failing to capitalise on the government’s catastrophic spring. Only 16 per cent said that they like the Labour Party and Ed Miliband, and Labour has shed support since last week: standing only 5 points clear of the Tories. Miliband has a battle on his hands in Glasgow and Cardiff, while Boris Johnson remains the favourite in London.
Jeremy Hunt’s friends may be becoming more inconspicuous (although IDS has told the Times that Hunt is a decent man of integrity), but the news cycle could shift hostile attention back on to Miliband’s leadership, which would be good news for ‘Teflon’ Cameron. A famous phrase about lucky generals comes to mind.
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