Downing Street is at war with the Daily Telegraph after the paper once known as the house journal of the Conservative party alleged that the prime minister’s director of communications issued a threat over a story about culture secretary Maria Miller‘s expenses.
In a blow to No 10’s attempts to negotiate a deal over the Leveson report into press ethics with Britain’s national newspapers, the Telegraph accused Craig Oliver of highlighting the role played by the culture secretary in dealing with the report’s recommendations.
Tony Gallagher, the Telegraph editor who has been involved in the negotiations with Miller over the implementation of the Leveson report, ordered the publication of details of a private conversation with Oliver. The newspaper reported that Oliver had said in a telephone call with Gallagher last Friday that the article about her expenses might be badly timed because “she [Maria Miller] is looking at Leveson at the moment”.
The newspaper published brief details of the conversation on Wednesday afternoon on its website following an article in its overnight print edition which said Miller’s special adviser had asked it to consider the minister’s role in implementing the Leveson report before publishing details of her expenses
Accusations from the Tories that the Telegraph coordinated their Maria Miller expenses story to coincide with the gay marriage announcement yesterday went down very badly over at Buckingham Palace Road. Still smarting, they have thrown the ‘rules’ out of the window and published rather embarrassing communications between Miller’s people and the paper in the run up to the story coming out:
Joanna Hindley
“The Telegraph has decided to disclose details of the private conversations amid widespread concern about the potential dangers of politicians being given a role in overseeing the regulation of the press. When a reporter approached Mrs Miller’s office last Thursday, her special adviser, Joanna Hindley, pointed out that the Editor of The Telegraph was involved in meetings with the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary over implementing the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson.
“Maria has obviously been having quite a lot of editors’ meetings around Leveson at the moment. So I am just going to kind of flag up that connection for you to think about,” said Miss Hindley. Miss Hindley also said the reporter should discuss the issue with “people a little higher up your organisation”.”
Not the best way to try to fight a negative story and particularly chilling in light of the fact Ofcom answers to the Culture Secretary – the exact chain of command that would control Leveson’s state backed press regulator. Eyebrows were raised about levels of experience after the Adam Smith mess at Culture when Miller hired Hindley back in September. She had been at Prince Charles’ Foundation as head of comms after a relatively junior role in the CCHQ press office.
A pretty awkward situation…
It is time for this ladty to resign. How can she hang on. If David Cameron had any courage, he would sack her.