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| Pressure mounts on PM over smears | Pressure mounts on PM over smears |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Pressure is mounting on Gordon Brown to explain who was involved in drafting e-mails sent by a senior adviser which discussed smears against senior Tories. | Pressure is mounting on Gordon Brown to explain who was involved in drafting e-mails sent by a senior adviser which discussed smears against senior Tories. |
| Damian McBride quit after his unfounded claims about Conservative leader David Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne became known. | |
| Opposition MPs are calling on the prime minister to personally apologise. | Opposition MPs are calling on the prime minister to personally apologise. |
| Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne has said the prime minister knew nothing of the e-mails. | Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne has said the prime minister knew nothing of the e-mails. |
| Labour backbencher John McDonnell has called for an inquiry to find out who was involved. | |
| A Number 10 spokesman said no-one else in Downing Street knew about the "juvenile and inappropriate" messages, which came to light after they were picked up by a Westminster blog. | A Number 10 spokesman said no-one else in Downing Street knew about the "juvenile and inappropriate" messages, which came to light after they were picked up by a Westminster blog. |
| However, shadow home secretary Chris Grayling claimed the e-mails demonstrated a "structured plan" to publish "blatant lies" about opposition MPs. | However, shadow home secretary Chris Grayling claimed the e-mails demonstrated a "structured plan" to publish "blatant lies" about opposition MPs. |
| Chris Grayling: "This was right at the very heart of our government" | Chris Grayling: "This was right at the very heart of our government" |
| "It's a sign of something absolutely rotten at the heart of Gordon Brown's Downing Street," he told BBC News. | "It's a sign of something absolutely rotten at the heart of Gordon Brown's Downing Street," he told BBC News. |
| "This is an exceptionally serious matter and he needs to explain immediately what happened. | "This is an exceptionally serious matter and he needs to explain immediately what happened. |
| "The real question now is was [Mr McBride] the only person involved in all of this." | "The real question now is was [Mr McBride] the only person involved in all of this." |
| Mr Byrne dismissed suggestions of an orchestrated smear campaign. | Mr Byrne dismissed suggestions of an orchestrated smear campaign. |
| "This was one private e-mail exchange between a couple of friends who were knocking backwards and forwards ideas," he said. | "This was one private e-mail exchange between a couple of friends who were knocking backwards and forwards ideas," he said. |
| "Mr McBride, having scribbled this stuff, decided that the right place for it was the waste basket," he added. | "Mr McBride, having scribbled this stuff, decided that the right place for it was the waste basket," he added. |
| The e-mails were originally sent in January to former government spin doctor Derek Draper, who runs the LabourList blog and was proposing to set up a new gossip-led site. | The e-mails were originally sent in January to former government spin doctor Derek Draper, who runs the LabourList blog and was proposing to set up a new gossip-led site. |
| However, they came to the attention of Paul Staines, author of the "anti-politics" Guido Fawkes blog, who revealed their contents. | However, they came to the attention of Paul Staines, author of the "anti-politics" Guido Fawkes blog, who revealed their contents. |
| We all know that when a backroom adviser becomes the story, their position becomes untenable Damian McBride Resignation statement in full | We all know that when a backroom adviser becomes the story, their position becomes untenable Damian McBride Resignation statement in full |
| Mr Staines has refused to reveal how the messages found their way to him, despite complaints from Mr Draper that they were private. | Mr Staines has refused to reveal how the messages found their way to him, despite complaints from Mr Draper that they were private. |
| Mr Draper has apologised to those mentioned in the e-mails and admitted "we should never really have considered the idea and I am sorry we did". | |
| "All I can do is absolutely promise that these stories were just daft ideas that never - and would never have - got off the drawing board," he wrote on his blog. | |
| He called on fellow bloggers to "commit to a new start" by avoiding personal attacks. | |
| In his e-mails, Mr McBride said he had used a bit of ''poetic licence'' to ''put the fear of God into Osborne''. | In his e-mails, Mr McBride said he had used a bit of ''poetic licence'' to ''put the fear of God into Osborne''. |
| Mr McBride described the first of his ideas as a ''solid investigative story'', but the other three as ''mainly gossipy, and intended to destabilise the Tories". | Mr McBride described the first of his ideas as a ''solid investigative story'', but the other three as ''mainly gossipy, and intended to destabilise the Tories". |
| He added: ''Let's think about how to sequence these in with others'' - a suggestion that a longer-term plan to place stories was being hatched. | He added: ''Let's think about how to sequence these in with others'' - a suggestion that a longer-term plan to place stories was being hatched. |
| Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne said Damian McBride did the "honourable thing" by resigning | |
| Mr McBride had been removed from his job dealing with the media on a day-to-day basis in September 2008 but was given responsibility for strategy and planning until he resigned on Saturday. | Mr McBride had been removed from his job dealing with the media on a day-to-day basis in September 2008 but was given responsibility for strategy and planning until he resigned on Saturday. |
| In his resignation letter, he said he was "sickened" that Mr Staines had put the e-mails in the public domain and that he regretted embarrassing the government. | In his resignation letter, he said he was "sickened" that Mr Staines had put the e-mails in the public domain and that he regretted embarrassing the government. |
| "We all know that when a backroom adviser becomes the story, their position becomes untenable, so I have willingly offered my resignation," he said. | "We all know that when a backroom adviser becomes the story, their position becomes untenable, so I have willingly offered my resignation," he said. |
| Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries has confirmed she was among four Tories featured in the emails and called for the prime minister to say sorry. | |
| "I would also like to know how Gordon Brown would feel if CCHQ wrote such disgusting lies about his wife, Sarah Brown," she wrote on her blog. | |
| 'Trusted lieutenant' | |
| BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said the controversy was uncomfortable for the prime minister because of his proximity to Mr McBride. | BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said the controversy was uncomfortable for the prime minister because of his proximity to Mr McBride. |
| "Damian McBride was one of the prime minister's closest confidants and he has been for many years," he said. | "Damian McBride was one of the prime minister's closest confidants and he has been for many years," he said. |
| "This man was important. He had real clout in Westminster, so for Gordon Brown to lose one of his most trusted lieutenants - and with a story like this - is incredibly damaging." | "This man was important. He had real clout in Westminster, so for Gordon Brown to lose one of his most trusted lieutenants - and with a story like this - is incredibly damaging." |
| Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, wrote in his blog that he had been struck not just by the "unpleasantness" of the emails, but also by their "incompetence". | Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, wrote in his blog that he had been struck not just by the "unpleasantness" of the emails, but also by their "incompetence". |
| "McBride will be thinking that was his big mistake - writing it all down. His really big mistake was thinking it might be effective," Mr Campbell added. | "McBride will be thinking that was his big mistake - writing it all down. His really big mistake was thinking it might be effective," Mr Campbell added. |
| Outspoken Labour backbencher John McDonnell called on Mr Brown to act decisively by launching an independent inquiry into who was involved. | |
| "Smear tactics like this are not the Labour way," he said. | |
| "They drag the Labour Party into the gutter. They just add further to the undermining of the belief that Labour Party supporters have placed in our party." |