Oakeshott’s son denies bid to oust Army chief
THE Army reservist son of Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott was at the centre of a military police inquiry after an alleged attempt to oust the commanding officer of his unit.
In an apparent precursor to his father’s botched bid to remove Nick Clegg as Lib Dem party leader last week, part-time soldier Luke Oakeshott has been implicated in an alleged behind-the-scenes plot to undermine his Army commander.
Following a series of disputes between Army colleagues, Oakeshott, 28, who holds the rank of signaller, was thought to have written anonymous letters to military chiefs and the Defence Secretary, raising concerns about how his Army unit was run.
These letters, sent last year, included complaints about ill-discipline and a lack of leadership in the Army’s Media Operations Group (the MOG) – a unit set up to generate positive publicity. At the time, Oakeshott was seconded to the MOG from his parent regiment, the Inns of Court & City Yeomanry.
The letters triggered an external inquiry into the MOG, which was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rosie Stone. While Oakeshott was widely suspected of being involved in writing the letters, investigating Army officers were unable to determine the identity of the author.
The claims raised in the letters were also dismissed and Lieut Col Stone was cleared of any alleged failures in command.
Last night Oakeshott denied ‘any knowledge of the letters’ which apparently were written just days after he was the victim of a brutal attack by a colleague, during which he sustained facial injuries.
The MoD confirmed the assault on Signaller Oakeshott by another member of the MOG remains the subject of a separate investigation by military police, expected to conclude later this month. Friends of Oakeshott described him as ‘colourful’. He lives near his father, in South London.
An MoD spokesman said: ‘We are aware of some anonymous letters concerning the MOG. The substance of these allegations was investigated and the unit retains
the full trust of the Army.’