Edward Llewellyn has been making headlines and there was speculation about his future.
Many a right-wing MP rubbed their hands with glee, seeing Llewellyn as a ‘wet’ impediment to a tougher European policy. But, Number 10 came out strongly in support of the PM’s
aide. Some people huffed, whispering that loyalty to friends like Llewellyn means more to Cameron than the health of the party.
But this is a blinkered reading. First of all, John Yates himself said he thought Llewellyn had acted properly. As he said to the Home Affairs Committee:
“It was a very brief email exchange and Ed, for whatever reason, and I completely understand it, didn’t think it was appropriate for him, the prime minister or anyone else at Number 10 to discuss this issue … Very simple, I can understand it…..”
No 10 subsequently released the email exchange between Yates and Llewellyn, showing how careful the PM’s aide had been so as not to compromise the police’s independence. As Llewellyn puts it, “I don’t think it would really be appropriate for the PM, or anyone else at No 10, to discuss this issue with you, and would be grateful if it were not raised please.” This position was backed up by the Cabinet Secretary and Jeremy Hayward who argued that it would have been inappropriate to interfere in an investigation. Indeed, imagine Llewellyn had done the opposite – coaxing and demanding operationally-sensitive information from police officers and brought it to the PM’s attention, as is the norm in Berlusconi’s Italy.
It is also worth noting that the PM does not keep Llewellyn out of loyalty. Llewellyn is crucial to this government, having co-authored the coalition agreement. He sits at the centre of the operation, keeping the lines clear, managing the coalition and minding the PM’s back.
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