BROWN FURY FORCES EMAILS AIDE TO QUIT

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Apr 12, 2009 | by VINCENT MOSS

ONE of Gordon Brown's closest aides sensationally quit last night after sending email smears about senior Tories.

The PM's adviser Damian McBride resigned after sending what were slammed as "juvenile and inappropriate" emails from his Number 10 account.

Mr Brown said there was no place in politics for the emails, which contained lurid and unfounded allegations. These included false claims that Shadow Chancellor George Osborne had taken drugs and slept with a prostitute and Tory leader David Cameron had suffered an "embarrassing illness".

Tory MP Nadine Dorries last night threatened to sue over "100 per cent untrue" allegations about her which were also in the emails.

The scandal came to light after the messages were leaked to a right-wing internet blogger known as Guido Fawkes.

Gordon Brown accepted Mr McBride's resignation hours before details were published in newspapers.

He had sent the messages to political blogger Derek Draper - married to GMTV presenter Kate Garraway, and a former spin doctor for Lord Mandelson.

The pair were discussing ideas for a new pro-Labour website called Red Rag, but the plan backfired when McBride's emails were leaked to Paul Staines, the man behind Guido Fawkes.

Last night a Downing Street spokesman insisted Mr Brown knew nothing about the emails. He said: "It is the Prime Minister's view that there is no place in politics for the dissemination or publication of material of this kind."

Mr McBride apologised, adding: "I am shocked and appalled that, however they were obtained, these emails have been put into the public domain by Paul Staines. When Derek Draper originally suggested using a website to compete with the kind of material seen regularly on the Guido Fawkes blog, he asked me in a personal capacity to write up some of the stories doing the rounds in Westminster.

"Derek and I decided in the end that this website was the wrong thing to do, and that Derek should not take his online efforts down to the level of Guido Fawkes and his Tory backers. I have already apologised for the inappropriate and juvenile content of my emails and the offence they have caused. I did not want these stories in the public domain... Paul Staines has put them there."

But he admitted: "When a backroom adviser becomes the story, their position becomes untenable, so I have willingly offered my resignation".

Last night Derek Draper said: "It turns out somebody's hacked into my emails and now it's all over the newspapers. We're talking about a small piece of silliness - not a great big smear campaign." Mr Draper insisted plans to repeat Westminster gossip about senior Tories on a proposed new website called Red Rag "did not make it off the drawing board".

DEREK DRAPER

MARRIED to GMTV's Kate Garraway, Derek Draper retrained as a psychotherapist after his political career - he was an aide to Peter Mandelson - ended in disgrace during "Lobbygate".

Mr Draper, now 41, had boasted to an undercover reporter that he could guarantee clients of his new lobbying firm access to senior Labour figures including then- Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He is desperate to get back into frontline politics and recently became frontman for a new Labour blog called Labourlist.

GUIDO FAWKES

THE web-name of Paul Staines, Britain's most controversial political blogger. He launches daily attacks on the Government. His "Porkbusters" campaign highlighted "greedy piggies" at Westminster and their expenses. Staines, 41, narrowly escaped jail for his latest drinkdriving of fence. His latest post last night simply read: "Mission accomplished - McBride fired."

DAMIAN McBRIDE

FEROCIOUSLY loyal, McBride, 34, rose through the ranks at the Treasury to become one of Gordon Brown's closest allies.

The special adviser built up a fearsome reputation as the PM's spokesman dealing with issues seen as "too political" for civil servants. Mr Brown recently promoted him to a pivotal role planning the Government's media strategy.

Some critics disliked his robust style. His withering text messages to journalists were legendary.

ON GEORGE OSBORNE:

''Embarrassing photos have followed George Osborne throughout his career... but he knows the most embarrassing photos from his past have yet to emerge'

ON DAVID CAMERON:

''Why doesn' t he go the whole hog and propose party leaders publish full and financial medical records? He could make it clear he 's not hiding any Embarrassing Illnesses'