Yesterday’s story about another bit of “faking it” on the No. 10 website webchat resulted in a Guido first, an instant rebuttal in the comments from the Press Office of the Department for Communities and Local Government

Your story about the Number 10 webchat is incorrect. The individual you name does not work for the Government. This was a public webchat which was advertised on the websites of Number 10 and the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Government did not ask any specific individuals to take part in the questioning.

Guido read it over and realised that it was a non-denial. Read it again. Technically Karen Doran doesn’t work for the government – she works for a goverment financed quango run out of what was formerly the Office of the Deputy PM, now known as the Department for Communities and Local Government. She is technically not on the government payroll, but is paid by the government.

Guido had a weird conversation with the press office where they accused him of “acting like Pravda”. Karen Doran asked Yvette Cooper, who is effectively her sponsoring minister, a patsy question under the guise of “public engagement”.

Why? The press office haven’t got back to me on that yet…