No doubt there will be even more damaging revelations to come about the Liam Fox saga but so far one area of potential responsibility appears to be missing from the focus of reporting. Just what was the civil service including the spooks doing during all this period of paid freebies and meeting involving the Secretary of State for Defence’s best man and unofficial adviser? Were any early warnings given and if so when and what? And if not why not? After all , what are legit and paid officials there for if not to advise their ministers and to ensure they operate within the rules? And what are the spooks there for but to warn about potential dangers to national security emanating from unauthorised parallel diplomatic channels and other networks?
I reserve judgement on whether Cameron was right or wrong to hang on to Fox as long as he did. But Cameron seems forever mindful of the mistakes , as well as achievements, of Tony Blair and I suspect , in acting how and when he did, he will have kept in mind the haste with which Blair forced Mandelson out of the cabinet in 2001 over the Hinduja passport affair, and the sour taste this left in certain quarters. You may remember Mandelson always protested he had done nothing wrong and was subsequently exonerated by an independent inquiry. It was clear by end of last week , if not days before, that Fox could count on no similar outcome.
