Saturday, April 28, 2012

Jeremy Hunt: A better idea for Nick Clegg

Today's Guardian quotes Nick Clegg as saying of Jeremy Hunt:
"Unless anyone has got a better idea I think having a judge where a cabinet minister needs to give evidence under oath is about the best context to really get down to find out what happened or what didn't happen."
I have a better idea: let's ask Sir Alex Allan, the prime minister's independent adviser on the ministerial code, to investigate the affair. That's what he is for.

It's not a terribly original idea. The same Guardian report quotes Simon Hughes and Lorely Burt as calling for Sir Alex to be called in.

Hell, the idea has even occurred to Ed Miliband.

What does surprise me is that Cameron and Clegg thought that Lord Leveson would fall in with their plans. He is clearly his own man and determined that his inquiry will be seen to be independent of government or anyone else. What made them think for a moment that he would agree to rewrite his programme of witnesses to suit their and Jeremy Hunt's convenience?

If I can see that from far-off Market Harborough, why couldn't they see it from Downing Street?

2 comments:

crewegwyn said...

To respond to your final question.

Don't know, but it's rather worrying!

Richard Morris said...

It's because they fear that Vince will get dragged into the same investigation ( on grounds he too strayed from the neutral zone, just the other way). Have written a piece on this and been advised it comes over as Anti Vince which is not what I'm saying - but I suspect the Tories will do all they can to drag him into this if they are forced to go down the inquiry route