Cameron rejects calls for curbs on Whittingdale’s powers
DAVID Cameron has announced he will stand by his Culture Secretary as No 10 rejected calls for John Whittingdale to stand aside from making decisions about press regulation after revealing he had a relationship with a prostitute.
Downing Street confirmed that the Secretary of State had not informed the Prime Minister about press interest in his relationship with the so-called “dominatrix” when he was appointed to the Cabinet after the 2015 General Election.
The Essex MP faced calls from campaigners and Labour to “recuse” – or withdraw – from decisions surrounding press regulation amid claims the revelations had left him vulnerable because there was a perceived conflict of interest.
Although the relationship occurred before he was made a minister, he was at the time chairman of the influential Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which had held a series of high-profile hearings on the phone-hacking scandal.
It emerged that four newspapers had investigated the claims at the time but concluded it was not a public interest story. Mr Whittingdale said: “The events occurred long before I took up my present position and it has never had any influence on the decisions I have made as Culture Secretary.”
But Maria Eagle, his Labour shadow, said it was essential that Mr Whittingdale acted to ensure there was no perception of “undue influence” in his dealings with the press. The ministerial code of conduct for ministers says they “must ensure that no conflict arises or appears to arise between their public duties and their private interests”. The PM’s spokesman said he did not believe there was any perception of a conflict of interest.
But Bob Satchwell for the Society of Editors argued that it was a “preposterous conspiracy theory too far” to say newspapers and broadcasters “jointly decided not to publish” the story.