Delays for Werritty affair report?
Apologies. I was under the impression (blog yesterday) that Adam Werritty would speak for a second time to the cabinet secretary’s inquiry today. I understand that chat is now likely tomorrow. That must reduce the chances but not rule out a resolution of this whole business this week.
Liam Fox himself, you may be surprised to hear, has not spoken to the cabinet secretary’s inquiry. His information to his own permanent secretary ahead of her interim report on Monday remains his only contact with these investigations. Or so I hear.
Where does that leave it all? As I mentioned on the programme on Monday, friends of Liam Fox think Adam Werritty was supported financially by political soul-mates not arms manufacturers. If that was all to service the (freelance) political mission of the defence secretary then it was a pretty rum operation in breach of collective responsibility and in breach of funding and interests transparency.
But is it hang-able? Is it the dark end of the grey area but not quite in the black area? Didn’t David Cameron already know about the separate foreign policy from feedback on Dr Fox’s trips to US think-tanks and his off-message links with Sri Lanka?
David Cameron clearly twitched a bit at the words attributed to Liam Fox saying the PM risked looking like John Major if he let the media pick off a minister. David Cameron said “strong leaders” take their time. “A weak leader is someone who jumps at it because of some artificial deadline.”
Adam Werritty may have twitched at being compared with Walter Mitty. Is that why there are now suggestions that he won’t necessarily be coming to tomorrow’s meeting with documentation?
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