Downing Street Says » Tessa Jowell

Asked whether Sir Gus O’Donnell was establishing facts on the questions about the pub company asked in Nigel Evans’ letter, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said, as they all knew, that Tessa Jowell had set out the position earlier in the week. He had no doubt that Sir Gus O’Donnell would want to reply to Nigel Evans, but how he did so was entirely a matter for him. The PMOS added that he was aware that Nigel Evans had written to Sir Philip Mawer, who had in turn contacted Tessa Jowell. Tessa Jowell had, through out, sought to be scrupulous in ensuring that everything she did was in keeping with the ministerial code and the views of the standards commissioner. As such she would reply to him and no doubt he would make his view known.

Asked to clarify, the PMOS said that in terms of communications he did not want to get in the middle of how or where. But it should come as no surprise that if an MP wrote to Sir Philip Mawer that the way he would establish the facts would be to get in touch with the person in question. Put that Sir Philip Mawer’s office had said they were merely seeking clarification, the PMOS said that they had their way of doing things, which was right and proper. We fully accepted and understood that and were perfectly relaxed. It was a statement of the obvious that there would be communications of some sort between Sir Philip Mawer’s office and Tessa Jowell’s office. How that was done was not for him to detail in any way as it was entirely a matter for Sir Philip Mawer’s office.

Put that Sir Philip Mawer’s office had said that they had only received a letter seeking clarification, the PMOS said that it was entirely up to Sir Philip Mawer how they handled the issue. Tessa Jowell, as she had maintained throughout, would do whatever was necessary to ensure that she met whatever questions the standards commissioner had. If they had to communicate they would. Tessa Jowell was perfectly relaxed about doing so.

Asked how Tessa Jowell could be described as scrupulous when she had failed to asked her husband question about their finances, the PMOS said that he would not get drawn too far into this as there were still conversation going on and replies pending. He did not want to pre-empt them. Tessa Jowell had stated explicitly that she believed that she should have been told about these matters and that had she been told she would have declared them. Asked whether he was suggesting that in addition to the mortgage that Tessa Jowell was saying that had she known about the shares that she should have declared them too, the PMOS answered that he was trying to be careful to keep a differentiation between the two. He was not going to pre-empt any outcome concerning Nigel Evans’ letters. In terms of the "gift" the position was as stated and this was what he had been referring to when he said she would have declared it.

Asked what the Prime Minister’s response was to Sir Alistair Graham’s latest call for a revision of how the ministerial code was adjudicated, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister’s view remained unchanged on this matter. This was that those who were accountable to parliament and ultimately the electorate were those who should decide whether ministers had abided by the code or not. The Prime Minister believed therefore that it was right and proper that he, as the person who was ultimately accountable to the electorate, should be the person who made those decisions. It was worth pointing out, as a matter of fact and without commenting on the substance, that even where there was an independent figure or panel as they have in relation to the London Mayor it was not without controversy. Therefore the idea that you could somehow avoid controversy by having independent figures would seem to be contradicted by recent experience.

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» Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Tessa Jowell

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