More on Damian McBride

Further to my recent postings on alleged current links between Gordon Brown and Damian McBride (most recent here), I was interested to read in The Observer that Ed Balls had admitted meeting Damian McBride socially:

"Ed Balls has become the first senior Labour politician to admit being in touch with Damian McBride, the disgraced spin doctor, following his resignation over attempts to smear senior Tories.

The children's secretary, a long-term friend of the former Treasury aide and one of Gordon Brown's closest allies... Asked whether he had been in contact with Labour's most notorious pariah, Balls confirmed that he had, but suggested it was purely social: "I certainly wished him a happy birthday. As I said [when he resigned], Damian did a very stupid thing, he's paid a very heavy price, but we all get on with our jobs."

Had he discussed policy with McBride? "Of course not." Although McBride is applying for a job as a school outreach worker, Balls said it was "very unlikely" that they would meet through work."

"Very unlikely", that leaves the door ajar just enough does it not?

The Observer piece ends:

"Tory MPs, however, plan to challenge Balls this week over the nature of communications with the former Downing Street adviser. Senior Tories are convinced that McBride has not been completely cut off from his old circle."

As readers of this blog know, James Duddridge has send a follow-up letter to Gordon Brown asking to answer both parts of the question he was asked at PMQs.


Some thoughts:
Is Ed Balls' "admission" a tactical device to take some of the pressure off of
Gordon Brown, who can now use this "social" meeting as an explanation of "contact".

Will Gordon Brown dare to use an "I answered this question last week" reply if asked at PMQs about contact between Damian McBride and himself. If he tries this answer will John Bercow take any action or will he resort to "It is up to the Prime Minister how he answers questions"?

More on the Damian McBride questions at PMQs

17 June and Conservative MP Lee Scott asked Gordon Brown if the government had received any informal briefings from the disgraced former spin doctor Damian McBride. Gordon Brown replied "I have not".

24 June and Conservative MP James Duddridge asked "Can the Prime Minister confirm whether he has had any correspondence, email, telephone calls or texts from Damian McBride since the day he resigned? And just to clear up the confusion there seems to be around this, could he write to the Parliamentary Standards Authority confirming the answer to this question?" Gordon Brown quickly replied "The answer is no" before launching a rather odd little attack on the fact that someone had dared to ask him a question he did not approve of. I queried which question Gordon Brown was answering no to. Was Gordon Brown saying no he has received no such correspondence from Damian McBride or no he won't write to the Parliamentary Standards Authority? It can't be no to the first and yes to the second as that would require a no and a yes answer. So why won't Gordon Brown put in writing that he has received no correspondence from Damian McBride?


I have subsequently been contacted by James Duddridge and he has sent the letter to Gordon Brown, that appears at the top of this post, raising just these points. I have little faith that a satisfactory reply will be received from Gordon Brown but we will see. In the meantime I wonder if another MP will raise the question at the next PMQs and how Gordon Brown will answer such a question.