Browne ‘must give full account’ of Iran decision
Defence secretary Des Browne must resign if he fails to give a “full account” of his decision to allow the 15 Royal Navy personnel released by Iran to sell their stories, Conservative leader David Cameron has said.
Speaking on BBC1’s Sunday AM programme Mr Cameron added that Mr Browne would also need to illustrate that he retains the confidence of Britain’s armed forces if he is to remain in his post.
The Conservative leader’s warning comes ahead of a statement the defence secretary is due to make to the House of Commons tomorrow over his controversial decision to allow crew members from HMS Cornwall to sell their stories to the media following their release by Iran, whose revolutionary guard captured the 14 men and one woman in the Gulf on March 23rd after claiming that they were in Iranian waters.
Speaking to reporters on April 11th, Mr Browne acknowledged that he had been wrong to approve navy plans giving them permission to receive money in return for details about their ordeal.
The move sparked controversy at Westminster, with several Labour backbenchers expressing concern over his decision and even prime minister Tony Blair admitting that the move had not been a “good idea”.
Although Mr Browne accepted responsibility for the decision and announced that the sale of further such interviews would not be permitted in light of the criticism, Mr Cameron said that the defence secretary still had to “give a full account to parliament and explain the actions his department and No 10 took”.
“The second test is does he retain the confidence of the armed services? If he can pass those two tests then he keeps his job. If he fails, then I think he has to go,” the Conservative leader stressed.
Mr Cameron also accused the government of “putting at risk” the reputation of Britain’s armed forces in order to achieve a “good headline”.
Two of the sailors held captive by Iran sold their stories to the press before the government imposed a ban on the sale of further stories.
