Minister threatens to sue pro-Tory paper

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, MARCH 20. A confrontation between the Blair administration and the Tory press is brewing over what the former regards as a deliberate smear campaign against it in the run-up to the general election, and on Monday the Government fired its first retaliatory shot as Downing Street allowed the Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr. Stephen Byers, to sue the rabidly pro- Tory tabloid, Daily Mail, for a story alleging sleaze at the highest level in Whitehall.

The story came even as the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, was trying to put behind him the Hindujas' affair and fighting pressure to sack Mr. Keith Vaz, the Minister for Europe, for alleged breach of conduct. Observers said Ministers suing newspapers for defamation was almost unprecedented - the only other case in memorable history being that of the former Conservative Prime Minister, Mr. John Major - and Mr. Byers' decision was clearly a political move prompted by Downing Street to take on the media, particularly the pro-Tory newspapers which have been digging up dirt on Ministers.

In recent months, the media - and not just the Tory press - has run successive campaigns targeting Ministers and Mr. Byers is the latest ``victim'' following Mr. Peter Mandelson, Lord Irvine and Mr. Keith Vaz, among others. The party is particularly sensitive on the issue of sleaze as it was on this question that, as the BBC pointed out, it had ``slaughtered'' the Tories in the last elections. Though so far the party's popularity has remained unaffected by the raft of sleaze allegations there is a fear that a sustained media ``witch-hunt'', if not challenged, might end up damaging its image.

The Mail reheated an old story relating to a œ-200,000 ``secret'' payment which the Labour MP and former paymaster general, Mr. Geoffrey Robinson, allegedly received from the controversial publisher, the late Robert Maxwell, for managing a Maxwell company. A fresh element, based on revelations in a new book, was that a Trade and Industry Department inquiry report critical of Mr. Robinson, who has consistently denied receiving the payment, was ``buried'' by Mr. Byers. The Mail reproduced an invoice from the book to ``prove'' that the money was paid to Mr. Robinson.

Incidentally, Mr. Robinson was also involved in a controversial home loan to Mr. Mandelson, and both had to resign from the Government over the issue. The Department of Trade and Industry in a statement on Monday said the inquiry was conducted by civil servants without ministerial involvement and its findings could not be made public.

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Section  : International
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