Tuesday 18 October 2011

No Surprises In Cabinet Secretary's Report On Liam Fox

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15352311

It is clear that Liam Fox did the right thing in resigning on Friday over his association with Adam Werritty.

The findings of the report into the affair by Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell which have now been published, reveal that Dr Fox clearly broke the Ministerial Code in allowing Werritty to accompany him on trips abroad.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15358660

And it has now been revealed that the former minister was warned several times about dealing too closely with Mr Werritty.

Had he still now been in post,  Dr Fox would have almost certainly been sacked by the Prime Minister.

The fact that the report states that he did not breach National Security or gain financially might be of small comfort to Dr Fox.

But still many questions remain and it is unlikely they will be answered when the former Defence Secretary is expected to make a formal statement to MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15360827

Despite the repeated warnings Fox was given about Mr Werritty, former Cabinet minister Lord Reid hit the nail on the head in an interview last night, when he said that on his first day in government, civil servants should have made it much clearer to Dr Fox that activities he may have engaged in  in opposition might not be viewed as acceptable now he was in power. This is now a key recommendation in Gus O'Donnell's report.

In my view, the spotlight should be on the madarins of Whitehall as much as they are on any future investigation into Dr Fox's affairs.

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