Mandelson ‘should get job back’

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson should get his job back if the Government’s inquiry into the Hinduja passport affair exonerates him, a senior Liberal Democrat peer said today.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson should get his job back if the Government’s inquiry into the Hinduja passport affair exonerates him, a senior Liberal Democrat peer said today.

Lord Taverne asked: ‘‘If the Hammond inquiry exonerates Mr Mandelson, will the Government act in the way in which an employer would have to act in the case of an industrial tribunal inquiry, and restore one of the ablest members of the Cabinet?’’

Cabinet Office minister Lord Falconer of Thoroton, declined to speculate on the result of the inquiry by former Treasury counsel Sir Anthony Hammond QC.

Tory ex-minister Lord Renton of Mount Harry attacked the Prime Minister’s press secretary, Alastair Cambell, for briefing against ministers.

He spoke of Mr Campbell ‘‘airbrushing another reluctant minister out of history by a disparaging remark at one of his press conferences’’.

Lord Renton and other Tory peers attacked Mr Campbell, a civil servant and special adviser, for being too party political. Lord Renton cited today’s reports that Mr Campbell would ‘‘flag up ambitions for a second Labour term’’.

‘‘Isn’t there an impossible conflict of interest here that needs to be resolved?’’ he demanded.

Lord Falconer replied: ‘‘There is no conflict of interests.’’ And he quoted Cabinet Secretary Sir Richard Wilson as saying Mr Campbell could ‘‘put a more robust defence forward for the Government than other civil servants’’.

Tory peers’ leader Lord Strathclyde wondered how many times Sir Richard had had to ‘‘upbraid Mr Campbell for behaviour incompatible with the traditional roles of the civil servant’’.

Lord Falconer replied: ‘‘I am not aware that the Cabinet Secretary has ever upbraided Mr Alastair Campbell in the respect suggested by you.’’

Labour ex-minister Lord Clinton-Davis accused the Tories of hypocrisy in that Mr Campbell was behaving no differently from Sir Bernard Ingham, when he was Margaret Thatcher’s press secretary.

Lord Falconer said: ‘‘I don’t know how Sir Bernard Ingham conducted himself. As far as Mr Alastair Campbell is concerned, he has conducted himself in accordance with the terms of his contract.’’

He added that Mr Campbell’s obligations under the Official Secrets Act were ‘‘exactly the same as any other civil servant’’. But, pressed by Tory ex-Leader Viscount Cranborne, Lord Falconer could not say if Mr Campbell had actually signed the Act.

‘‘I cannot be precise about the procedure, but I would make it clear that he is governed by the Official Secrets Act to the same extent as any other civil servant,’’ he said.

A former lobby correspondent, Tory Lord Marlesford, could not recall Sir Bernard Ingham ever criticising the Labour Party. ‘‘He frequently refused to take a line for the Conservative Party although he was totally loyal to the Prime Minister of the day.’’

Lord Falconer said Mr Campbell was ‘‘well able to operate within the confines of his contract’’. He added: ‘‘That involves robustly putting the Government’s case and, where the Opposition’s attacks on the Government are absurd, he is able to point that out.’’

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