Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. UK Politics
13 June 2012updated 09 Sep 2021 12:41pm

The questions Theresa May won’t answer over her letter to Gove

Did she know the letter was going to be released? And why did it take three days for it to be removed?

By George Eaton

Faced with questions over what she knew when about the extraordinary release of her letter attacking Michael Gove, Theresa May has decided to stonewall. In the course of an hour in the Commons, she said that she did not authorise the publication of the letter (as the PM’s spokesman revealed this morning) but refused to say whether she knew it would be released at some point (i.e. that it was written to be leaked) and failed to explain why it took three days for it to be removed from the Home Office website. 

The longer the session went on, the more rattled May appeared. Asked by Labour’s Nic Dakin whether she knew her special adviser Fiona Cunningham (who was forced to resign over the incident) was going to publish the letter, she replied that it was “a bit rich getting so many questions about special advisers from the party of Damian McBride”, a partisan attack that only highlighted her evasiveness.

May has clearly calculated that nothing will emerge to suggest that she knew about the letter’s release (which could leave her in breach of the ministerial code), but in doing so she is gambling with her future.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday - from the New Statesman. Sign up directly at saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. Sign up directly at morningcall.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.