“the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that he didn’t give a running commentary on any police investigation, this investigation was no different. “
This mantra was repeated over and over again, the likes of Hazel Blears said
“it would be entirely wrong for me to make any comment on an ongoing police investigation.”
When Blair was cheekily asked by a Tory MP at PMQs as to what statement he would be making to the police, he responded that for obvious reasons he would not be making any comment. Even the most junior Labour MP stuck to this pompous formula – until yesterday. Now they are accusing the police of behaving theatrically. Lord Puttnam, Labour luvvie and confidant of Ms Turner, was on all the news shows yesterday telling us the police investigation was “bullshit”.
Tessa Jowell, a Blairite holdout, who herself was a signatory to some legally dubious mortage applications and is the wife of David Mills, Berlusconi’s co-defendant, who is himself up on fraud charges, also suddenly became very keen to comment on “an ongoing police investgation”.
That disgraced ex-Home Secretary and expense fiddler, Blunkett is pompously doing the rounds of studios maligning the police, accusing them of “grandstanding.” In truth the investigators are conducting an investigation under intense political and media scrutiny. Clearly they have grounds to suspect that far from fully co-operating, Ms Turner has attempted to pervert the course of justice. 
The current denizens of Downing Street seem to be under the illusion that they are above the law and that normal police procedures should not apply to them. They will find out that they do.
Guido is given to understand that the police have recently discovered an evidential “smoking gun” and that they are now more confident that this will all see the light of day at the Old Bailey. There is increasing confidence that the CPS will be compelled, by the evidence, to bring prosecutions.
The denizens of Downing Street can huff and puff all they like, but their house is coming down…
*Picture Credit : Curly’s Corner Shop
She should have taken Guido’s advice.
Powell is her boss.
Looks like Guido will have to revise his new game card.
The investigation is to be extended…
UPDATE : Blair “has full confidence” in her…. wonder if he’ll be saying that if she grasses him?
UPDATE II : Tony Blair said: “Ruth is a person of the highest integrity for whom I have great regard and I continue to have complete confidence in her.”
UPDATE III : Turner issues statement denying everything, protesting her innocence and rejecting the possibility of butter melting in her mouth.
Constitutional Affairs Committee has just released a press notice:
The Committee has decided to inquire into the constitutional position of the Attorney General and take evidence from him. It is also proposed that the Committee take evidence from other witnesses in due course. The terms of reference for the inquiry are:
(1) To inquire into the constitutional role of Attorney General, in particular to consider what constitutional role the Attorney should play in relation to the upholding of the Rule of Law;
(2) To consider the interrelationship between the role of the Attorney General and the Lord Chancellor in that context;
(3) To examine the functions of the Attorney vis-à-vis his role as superintending Minister for legal services provided in Government (including the Crown Prosecution Service) and whether such a role conflicts with his duties as a member of the Government.
It is likely that two sessions of oral evidence will be taken in February.
Rt Hon Alan Beith MP, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, said:
“In the light of recent events where the Attorney General has had to make decisions about highly political subjects involving prosecutions, the constitutional role of the Attorney General as part of the framework of upholding the Rule of Law has taken on an unusual importance.
This inquiry follows on from the Committee’ s work on the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 which changed the status of the Lord Chancellor as the guardian of the legal conscience of the Government”.
Notes:
1. The Committee’s Report Party Funding (HC 163 I and II), is available on the Committee’s website: www.parliament.uk/conaffcom
2. Committee Membership is as follows: Rt Hon Alan Beith MP (Chairman), David Howarth MP, Siân James MP, Mr Piara S Khabra MP, Jessica Morden MP, Julie Morgan MP, Robert Neill MP, Mr Andrew Tyrie MP, Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Jeremy Wright MP
