Cherie passes up the chance to say sorry over Kelly book auction

Not only IMHO should the Blair Family be held responsible for the death of Dr David Kelly by also the Labour party are now cashing in on the act.

Source Daily Telegraph
27/05/2006
By Brendan Carlin

ARTICLE ONE

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Cherie Blair was under attack last night after failing publicly to apologise for autographing a copy of the report into the death of Dr David Kelly for a Labour fund-raising event.

The two Labour MPs behind the auction - James Purnell, the work and pensions minister, and Chris Bryant - issued their "sincere" apologies last week after being accused of insensitivity to Dr Kelly's widow and family. Dr Kelly committed suicide three years ago after being uncovered as the source of a BBC report that No 10 had exaggerated intelligence about Saddam Hussein's arsenal of chemical and biological weapons.


Critics feel Lord Hutton's report let the Government off the hook over Dr Kelly's death, perhaps explaining why a copy signed by Mrs Blair would go for £400 at a Labour auction attended by ministers and other senior Labour figures.

But in an interview to be broadcast on the BBC World Service today and recorded on Monday, shortly after the row broke, Mrs Blair missed the opportunity to say sorry.

She was asked generally about mistakes she had made in her role as the Prime Minister's spouse, not the specific issue of the book auction.

Mrs Blair admitted that she had made errors, but said she did not apologise publicly for them. "I don't own up to them publicly. I'm never really in a situation where it gets to that. One of the things you have to understand is that I don't actually, most of the time, go out and make media statements."

In December 2002, Mrs Blair did make a public apology - over her relationship with a convicted fraudster, Peter Foster, when she tearfully declared that in juggling the roles of wife, mother, prime ministerial consort and barrister, "some balls get dropped".

Chris Grayling, a Tory shadow minister, said last night that it was "highly regrettable" that Mrs Blair was not going to repeat that act of contrition.

In her interview, the Prime Minister's wife confessed that she did not "always actually read the press every day".

But Mr Grayling said she would have been well aware on Monday of how much offence the auctioning of the book had caused.

Challenged about his wife's actions at Prime Minister's Questions this week, Mr Blair stopped short of an apology, saying: "I do not believe that any offence to anyone was intended."

Downing Street confirmed that Mr Blair, who is visiting President George W Bush in Washington, would take a few days holiday. He will not return to Britain before his break at an undisclosed location, a spokesman said.

With the Prime Minister away, John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, technically will be in charge of the country

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ARTICLE TWO

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Tony Blair was forced to defend his wife, Cherie, in the Commons yesterday after she autographed a copy of the Hutton report into the death of Dr David Kelly for a Labour fund-raising auction.

Mrs Blair has faced fierce criticism after it emerged that the report she signed was sold for £400 last week at an auction in Mayfair attended by government ministers and other senior Labour figures.

Critics have described the decision to cash in on a report into the suicide of the government scientist as "crassly insensitive." They have claimed that her actions will cause deep distress to Dr Kelly's widow, Janice, and the couple's children.

Dr Kelly committed suicide three years ago after being revealed as the source of a BBC report that No 10 had exaggerated intelligence about Saddam Hussein's arsenal of chemical and biological weapons.

Challenged about his wife's actions during Prime Minister's Question Time yesterday, Mr Blair stopped short of offering an apology, but said: "I do not believe that any offence to anyone was intended."

However, minutes later the Conservative backbencher Ed Vaizey, who is Mrs Kelly's local MP, told the Commons that Mrs Blair's actions had caused deep distress in the constituency.

Last night, the two Labour MPs who organised the auction - James Purnell, the work and pensions minister, and Chris Bryant - tried to defuse the growing row by issuing an apology.

In a statement, the two men said: "This was a private event. No one intended to give offence and if there is any offence, we sincerely apologise. We have not received any money for this item and we want to make it clear that we will not accept any."

In a further blow last night, Fiona Millar, who worked as Mrs Blair's personal aide at No 10 for six years, also called on her to say sorry.

Miss Millar, who is Alastair Campbell's partner, conceded that it was not appropriate for the Prime Minister's wife to sign a copy of the Hutton report. "I think the right thing to do is to apologise," she told Sky News.

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ARTICLE THREE

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Conservative MPs are demanding a public apology from Labour after party members, including ministers, took part in an auction for a copy of the Hutton report into the death of Dr David Kelly autographed by Cherie Blair.

According to a Commons motion tabled by Stewart Jackson, the Tory MP for Peterborough, the event took place at the Arts Club in Mayfair last week and raised £400 for party funds.

The motion said the event was "in appalling bad taste, arrogant and crassly insensitive in seeking to make money, through hawking, as a novelty item, an official government report into the death of a public servant".


Mr Jackson wrote last night to Hazel Blears, the Labour Party chairman, urging her to make a formal apology to the Kelly family and donate £400 to an appropriate charity.

"Labour should admit that it was a very bad mistake," he told BBC Radio 4.

Channel 4 News said the Labour Party had told it that the auction was not an official party event and knew nothing about it. The channel also reported claims that a previous copy of the Hutton report, signed by Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's former communications chief, had been sold on eBay.

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What do you expect from the Blairs? A bit of humanity? You have to have some humility to apologise.

:no: :shame:

Auctioning an autrographed copy of the Hutton report was "crassly insensitive". In fact it is incredible that anyone considered doing such a thing, let alone actually going through with it. As someone who autographed it Cherie Booth shares some responsibility and should apologise. However:

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Not only IMHO should the Blair Family be held responsible for the death of Dr David Kelly by also the Labour party are now cashing in on the act.

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is going too far. You can pin some blame on Tony Blair, but how can Cherie, Euan, Nicky, Kathryn and Leo be held responsible?

That's pretty classy. Hey, if it's not "illegal" it's okay, right?

If somebody has committed a crime, and you know about it, is that not classed as aiding and abetting ?

Thats all I ment with that. I class them all in the same boat. Whatever Tony does, or Cherie at that matter, will rub of on the others.....

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If somebody has committed a crime, and you know about it, is that not classed as aiding and abetting?

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Firstly, I don't suppose that TB tells Cherie everything he does at work. I certainly don't share confidential information from work with my wife. Secondly, no-one has been convicted of a crime in this matter, so it is a little early to be talking about "aiding and abetting".

It would be interesting to explore whether the Kelly families human rights had been abrogated by the actions of Ms. Booth.

Ah the delicious irony.

I did say IMHO.

I still believe the whole incident of Dr Kelly's death was very strange.