Brown finally says sorry about email smear campaign

Surprise apology: Gordon Brown talks to shipworkers in Govan today

GORDON Brown today made a surprise apology for the Damian McBride email scandal.

The Prime Minister bowed to pressure to say sorry for the plot to smear David Cameron, George Osborne and other Tory MPs on a new website
called Red Rag.

Mr McBride, one of his closest aides, was forced to resign after an email he sent from Downing Street was leaked revealing the plan to spread scurrilous, unfounded stories about the Conservatives.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Mr Brown said on a visit to Glasgow for a special meeting of the Cabinet. "When I saw this first, I was horrified and shocked and very angry indeed."

The Prime Minister has steadfastly refused to apologise on other issues, including accusations that his policies on increasing public spending have left the country ill-prepared to cope with a downturn.

By saying sorry today, Mr Brown appeared to be seeking to move back onto the economic agenda after his success at the recent G20 summit in London.

"I take full responsibility for what happened, that's why the person who was responsible went immediately," he added. "Now we have got to get on with the business of getting this country through the most difficult times."

Ministers, though, are braced for fresh email revelations.

Mr Brown has been accused of presiding over a culture in the Treasury and No 10 of aggressive briefing against rivals, both in the Tory and Labour parties. Mr McBride was the Treasury's media chief before becoming a special adviser to Mr Brown.

Today the Prime Minister insisted: "I think the
most important thing we do is reassure people everything is being done to clean up politics in our country.

"I wrote to the people who were affected and expressed very deep regret. I have ensured that there are new rules so this can't happen again. We have done everything in our power to deal with
this."

MP Nadine Dorries, who was targeted in the McBride email, said she was "pleased" with the apology but it should have been made sooner and personally.

She added: "There still needs to be a full inquiry into who knew what."

She also noted that the apology had been made while the focus at Westminster was on the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to press charges against shadow immigration minister Damian Green following a Home Office leaks inquiry.

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