Last week Gordon and a tiny number of loyalists took umbrage in this statement from the Cabinet Office:

“We confirm there is a record of only one call between Mr. Brown and Rupert Murdoch in the year to March 2010, on 10th of November 2009″.

They claimed this was complete vindication and proof that Gordon did not lie about the “declaration of war” phone call. However if that statement is compared to what was said at the time by Brown’s official civil service Prime Minister’s Spokesman, that vindication looks very shaky. The Guardian reported the following briefing to the Lobby on 12 November 2009, the day news of the official Murdoch/Brown call on November 10 had leaked:

“‘He [Brown] has regular communications with Rupert Murdoch, as you would imagine, and he has the most enormous personal regard for Rupert Murdoch,’ the prime minister’s official spokesman said. ’I am not going to give any further information about the conversation. I am commenting as much as I think I can about a personal conversation. There is nothing unusual in the prime minister talking to Rupert Murdoch.‘”

So there was contemporaneous confirmation from a civil service source that there were regular conversations between Murdoch and Brown prior to November 2009. In the light of the latest Cabinet Office statement saying that they have only have a record of one conversation, any such regular calls can only have been unrecorded and unmonitored. Add this to Peter Mandelson’s sworn statement that the “war” conversation took place and it is clear to all but Brown’s bunker buddies that last week’s statement in no way clears the Prime Mentalist…

Guido has been looking through the “evidence” that the Prime Mentalist has provided to Leveson to back up his claim that he never threatened Rupert Murdoch in the now infamous “declaration of war” phone call in November 2009. Lots of noise has been made about Civil Servants supporting Brown’s version of events, but that is not quite true. Statements have been provided by various staffers who heard the call:

• Stewart Wood – then Brown’s SpAd, now Lord Wood and Ed’s consigliere – a political appointment known to mop up and cover for Brown’s messes in the past. The Prime Mentalist was witnessed roughly pushing Wood, but he still denies it ever happened.

• Gavin Kelly –  then deputy chief of staff and another political loyalist. Brown once grabbed him by the collar and said “they are out to get me”. Hardly a credible witness either.

• David Muir – another political spinner.  Claims “Gordon would shout and be exasperated and angry about things” but covers for him adding “it was for the right reasons”.

• Michael Dugher – yet another political spinner. Now and MP, but spent the dying days of the Brown government forcing the line. Old habits die hard.

The only non-political witness statement provided is from Simon Lewis, who was the PM’s Official Spokesman. The only civil servant Brown uses for back up was the only witness not to actually hear the call. He stresses that his statement relies on what he was told to brief to the press. Funny that…

UPDATE: A reliable Westminster watchers notes: “I think the contention from Murdoch is that there was a call in late September (just after the Sun came out), rather than in November which is the call people refer to.”

Guido hears that despite a concerted effort, the sources that brought the world the Craig Oliver V. Norman Smith video have not been found, and thus the BBC will be not be taking any action over the leak. Under pressure from No.10 enquiries were made, but to no avail. Guido went out of his way as always, to make sure this was the case.

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Special Adviser to the Prime Minister Sean Worth is departing government to head up an investigation into better public services at Policy Exchange. It seems to be mid-term transfer season with lots of  SpAds looking to move on and out. Worth was on secondment to fire-fight at health and Guido hears, like another recently departed member of Team Dave, he wants to be able to speak out more than he currently can about how to radically reform the public sector.

This is the second prominent hire for Policy Exchange from government – with No.10 policy wonk James O’Shaughnessy also joining their team. Traditionally seen as a bit of a SpAd school, Policy Exchange seems to becoming a rehab centre for them on the way out of government too…

Pic via Political Pictures

UPDATE:

Re.policy exchange's latest recruit,isnt it curious that no10 spads feel they can have more influence on policy outside the tent than in?—
Isabel Oakeshott (@IsabelOakeshott) June 01, 2012

Sean Worth departure intriguing. Just as Tories agree they need more intellectual firepower in govt, one of their bigger brains leaves…—
James Kirkup (@jameskirkup) June 01, 2012

Norman Smith doesn’t really seem to enjoy the limelight off camera. After his well publicised run in with Downing Street’s Craig Oliver, the Beeb correspondent was keeping a low profile at the New Culture Forum’s Jubilee party last night. Guido overheard a friend telling a sceptical Smith that “it was a badge of honour”. “That’s not quite how the BBC see it” he replied…

The Downing Street Director of Communications took issue with the BBC News Channel Political Correspondent’s coverage of Hunt. He didn’t realise the camera was still on though…

Lots of chatter and austerity prosecco at the Taxpayers’ Alliance launch party for their 2020 Tax report at the reopened Atrium last night. Downing Street jobs were high up the list of conversation. Guido put it to ITV’s Tom Bradby that his name comes up as a possible communicator. He sort of denied that he was interested:

“Can you think of anything f***ing worse?”

Guido will put him down as a maybe.

It was all smiles last night in Downing Street as Dave welcomed a tranche of Tory candidates in for drinks. Jokes about still waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares of his own selection process could not mask the bad news – that thanks to the boundary reviews there are no real safe seats up for grabs, but chin up and try again next time.

Guido was more intrigued by Dave’s digs about “unchaining” from the coalition that he’s in “not out of love or loyalty”. Though he repeated “unchaining” more than once, not every one was convinced he had a plan of how it’s going to happen…

Boris spinner Guto Harri is poised to accept a position as Director of Communications at News International on a salary of £250,000-a-year. Guido understands that he promised Boris some weeks ago that he would not accept the position until after the election. Guto is telling the truth when he says he has not signed a contract, he is due to formally sign on with News International next week.

Guido sources at News International say that Sara Argent, currently Head of Operations at the GLA, will also go with him. She is a former CCHQ staffer who worked on the Boris 2008 election campaign.

Guto has also been a name regularly in the frame for a job at Downing Street. If Dave really wants him, he’ll have to move fast…

The LibDems are continuing to claim that they are untainted by BSkyB bid revelations this week. While it is true that Cable’s SpAd Giles Wilkes set the example of how Adam Smith should have been dealing with News Corp spinmeister Fred Michel, the email chains are still damning for the party. When Wilkes rejected a meeting it seems that Michel went to other LibDem spinners and found success with Jonny Oates, the former Bell Pottinger director turned Clegg SpAd, who as Guido reported yesterday was happy to help and brief. But he didn’t stop there…

Paul Marshall, the founder hedge fund Marshall Wace, is a LibDem donor. Crucially he’s also an adviser to Nick Clegg.

Here not only does Marshall acknowledge a meeting with James Murdoch to discuss the bid, he also gives further advice, in writing, for Fred Michel to pass on to his boss:

He recommends BSkyB beef up their PR team and goes so far as to recommend his friend and Brunswick chief Alan Parker. All of this is so that BSkyB can get the “easy win” that Marshall clearly supports adding: ”I wish you luck. You have built a great business and it must be very frustrating to be penalised for your success.” It doesn’t sound like all the LibDems were at war with Murdoch…