Campbell may quit in September
Speculation is growing that Alastair Campbell will resign from the job of director of communications at No 10 early September, ahead of the Labour conference.
But not until after Lord Hutton’s judicial inquiry- in which Campbell believes he will be vindicated- into Dr David Kelly’s apparent suicide is concluded.
Should stories in the media this weekend hold true, his eventual departure may herald the rebranding of New Labour as a spin-less and hence, once again, “believable” political party, ahead of the next general election.
Despite the tragic suicide of Dr David Kelly, the MoD Iraqi weapons expert identified as the “mole” in the BBC story on the “sexed up” dossiers, Mr Blair appears unwilling to jump ship just yet.
He is prepared to stand as leader for a third consecutive term.
Ridding Labour of spin will clear the way for Labour’s election defence.
Mr Campbell’s future as head of Mr Blair’s “spin machine” was imperilled by the recent controversy surrounding the Government’s alleged interference in the intelligence reports on Iraq’s capacity to launch lethal weapons.
The BBC alleged the Government introduced a clause into an Iraq weapons dossier which stated Saddam Hussein could launch weapons of mass destruction “within 45-minutes.”
Mr Campbell was accused of directly interfering with the intelligence report in order to strengthen the case for war against Iraq.
Some claim Mr Campbell’s very presence in government is causing untold damage to Labour’s trustworthiness.
But the continuing controversy around Mr Campbell has inadvertently aided the Blair government.
It has drawn attention away from the real question of Britain’s support for the Iraq war, which aimed to rid Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship of its purported weapons of mass destruction.
Thus far no weapons have been found.
David Hill, a former Labour Party spokesman, is widely rumoured as the main candidate to replace Mr Campbell.
Some are unconvinced that things will change markedly if Mr Campbell quits.
David Davis, the Conservative MP who shadows deputy Prime Minister john Prescott, said: “The real driving force behind the culture of spin at the heart of this Government is Tony Blair.”
There are rumours that Mr Campbell will time his exit to coincide with the departure of girlfriend Fiona Millar, Cherie Blair’s press secretary, who leaves her job in September.
