Brown apologises for McBride emails
By politics.co.uk staff
In a surprise move, Gordon Brown has apologised for the emails sent by special advisor Damian McBride.
“I am sorry about what happened,” the prime minister said.
“I’ve said all along that when I saw this first I was horrified, shocked and very angry indeed.
“I think the most important thing we do is reassure everything is being done to clear up politics in our country,” he continued.
“I take full responsibility for what happened, that’s why the person responsible resigned as soon as it happened.”
The comments stunned opposition politicans and journalists, who had given up on getting an apology out of the prime minister.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne called it “the most constipated apology in British political history”.
“The prime minister doesn’t get that British politics needs more than tinkering, it needs to be fundamentally fixed.”
The statement comes as Mr Brown prepares to sit through a Q&A session with the public today – the first time he may have to face sustained questions over scandal.
The statement came as a huge surprise
He had managed to successfully distance himself from the McBride affair so far, although analysts believe it may have a catastrophic effect on his public standing.
He sent personal letters to the Tories mentioned in the emails – some of which were judged illegible – and was saved from further questioning when the head of the civil service said no minister had been involved in the scandal.
The session comes as Cabinet sits in Scotland for the first time in nearly 90 years as part of the prime minister’s campaign to have ministers more openly engage with the people of the UK.
The Cabinet meeting is expected to be dominated by the state of the economy while the ministers for various departments them address their varied portfolios throughout the day.
The prime minister ate dinner with Alex Salmond, Scottish first minister and leader of the Scottish National party, and other Holyrood leaders, last night.
Mr Salmond had wanted the Cabinet meeting to be held jointly by UK and Scottish minister, but this was quickly shot down by the Scotland Office.
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: “The Scottish and UK governments have shown that we can work well together to help families and business during tough economic times.
“When the UK cabinet meets in Scotland, it needs to take decisions in the interests of Scotland.”
In the afternoon, Scottish secretary Jim Murphy will brief the Cabinet on Scotland’s economy, saying: “The last 12 years have been some of the best in Scotland’s history. Sustained growth has cut unemployment below the UK average for the first time for decades, and employment levels in Scotland are the third highest in the European Union.
“Despite the global downturn, we should be confident about the future.”
The last time the Cabinet met in Scotland was in 1921 because prime minister Lloyd George was holidaying in the Highlands.
